Heroes of the Old and Gods read: THE LIGHTNING THEIF
by Daughter of Pothena
Summary: I know, overused. But, just as the title says. I will be updating once a week.
1. Prologue

**Also, I know this is overused. If you have already read my other story, don't worry, I will update both every week. **

Disclaimer: If I owned Percy Jackson, why would I be typing this up? All rights go to Mr. Rick Riordan

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><p>It was a regular day on Olympus, about 1,500 B.C. The Heroes of Olympus (Theseus, Orion, Hercules and Perseus) were on Olympus, along with Hestia and Hades. Heracles had just become an immortal.<p>

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a portal opened 50 feet above the tiles. There was a ear-piercing scream.

Athena waved her hand, producing a fluffy cloud that successfully caught eight people. The ninth demigod landed several feet away from the others, on the cold marble floor.

"OW!" the boy yelled.

"Oh shut it, kelp head. It shouldn't hurt that much."

Heracles stood up and yelled. "HEY! WHO DARES ENTER THE THRONE ROOM NOT SUMMONED BY THE GODS?!" Oh wow! Dramatic! Even more than Dionysus!

A note floated down out of no where.

Athena walked over, picked it up and read it out loud:

_Dear gods, confused and maybe angry demigods,_

_ This is a note from the future gods. Well, two future gods, namely, the two most awesome gods, HERMES and APOLLO! Anyways, today I am sending you here to read some books! Big fat, interesting books. About the demigods we just flashed there. No killing allowed. Don't mess up the future. Demigods, don't kill too. Name and godly parent. Oh, they are all saviors of Olympus. Happy reading!_

_ Sincerely, the two most awesome gods, HERMES and APOLLO!_

Zeus studied the demigods. The oldest boy who couldn't be older than 16 who had jet black hair, muscular and was pretty tall. He was almost like a carbon copy of Poseidon. A girl who intertwined hands with him had blond princess curls with a gray streak. She is fit, tall, and athletic looking. Her eyes are an intense shade of gray that could match Athena's. She was tanned. The only difference between her and Athena was that the girl had a gray steak. She stood next to a girl with electric-blue eyed and had a circlet on her head, which symbolizes her role as the lieutenant of Artemis. She had spiky black hair and freckles going across her nose. The next demigod also had blond hair. He was muscular, had electric-blue eyes, was an inch taller than the other boy, and had a small scar at the end of his lips. The girl holding hands with him had dark tanned skin, chocolate-brown hair that is cut choppy and uneven with thin strands braided on either side of her hair and eyes that change color like a kaleidoscope going from brown to blue to green. Another girl had shoulder-length curly cinnamon brown hair and gold eyes and dark skin. The next boy had a large and stocky frame with babyish face with brown eyes and black short hair. He looked like a koala with muscles. A scrawny boy was next with curly black hair, dark brown eyes, pointy ears, a cheerful, babyish face, normally with a mischievous smile on his face, and being of normal height with a slim build. He is 5'6_. _Last but not least was a pale boy with black hair that always looks like he just got out of bed (messy and shaggy).

"Percy- Perseus Jackson." The 16-year old boy said after he got cold stares. "Son of Poseidon."

"Annabeth Chase," said the miniature Athena. "Daughter of Athena."

"Thalia, just Thalia. Daughter of Zeus."

"Jason Grace. Son of Jupiter, Roman counterpart of Zeus."

"Piper McLean. Daughter of Aphrodite."

"Hazel Levesque, Daughter of PLuto, Roman Counter of Hades."

"Frank Zhang, son of Mars, ROman COunterpart to Ares."

"Leo Valdez, Son Hephaestus."

"Nico Di'Angelo, Son of Hades."

The deities nodded in approval at their children.

Hercules sighed, obviously bored. "If we going to read, where are the books?"

This earned a lot of glares from the demigods of the past.

"Look up," Annabeth said coldly.

Hercules looked up and soon had a book print on his face, seeing that ten books fell on top of his face.

The Heroes of the Old suppressed their laughter because Hercules is now a god. The Heroes of Olympus just laughed.

Hestia just quietly walked over and picked up the first book titled Percy Jackson and the lightning thief.

She cleared her throat. "I ACCIDENTALLY VAPORIZE MY PRE-ALGEBRA TEACHER."


	2. Vaporizing Teachers

**Also, I know this is overused. If you have already read my other story, don't worry, I will update both every week. **

Disclaimer: If I owned Percy Jackson, why would I be typing this up? All rights go to Mr. Rick Riordan

* * *

><p><strong>"I ACCIDENTALLY VAPORIZE MY PRE-ALGEBRA TEACHER."<strong>

"How do you vaporize your teacher?" Orion said, looking at his new brother with new interest.

Percy only smiled, placed a finger in front of his lips and tilted his head.

**Look, I didn't want to be a half blood.**

"Who does?" the demigods and Hercules said in perfect unison.

The gods all looked down guiltily except for the ones who didn't have children.

**If you're reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is**

"Duck and run for the hills!" Thalia and Nico yelled. "Percy is giving advice!"

The gods only stared at the two of them.

"Percy's adiv never works, unless it's stupid." Piper explained, seeing the confused faces.

**close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life.**

"It will work if your demigod aura is not that strong," Annabeth said. "For you, never."

Percy pouted.

**Being a half-blood is dangerous.**

"Check!" muttered the Heroes of the Old.

**It's scary.**

This came from the future heroes. "Check again!"

**Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways.**

"Ding ding ding! You just described our lives!" Leo yelled.

The gods only looked guiltier than before.

**If you're a normal kid, reading this because you think it's fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened.**

"We envy you too," said the male demigods. The other demigods decided to roll their eyes in response.

**But if you recognize yourself in these pages-if you feel something stirring inside-stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it's only a matter of time before they sense it too, and they'll come for you.**

"Who?" asked Apollo.

Artemis smacked him on the head. "Monsters," she hissed.

"Oh."

**Don't say I didn't warn you.**

"You didn't," said a great amount of demigods.

"Nico, I was saving you from a dam manticore. The rest of you, I come from the future. Also, I was too busy!" Percy protested.

**"My name is Percy Jackson." **

"No, it's Hestia."

Cue another smack.

**I'm twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York. Page Am I a troubled kid?**

"Yes you are!" yelled the demigods from the future.

The gods only sat there, looking amused whilst Percy pouted. "I'm not!"

**Yeah. You could say that.**

"You're contradicting yourself," Annabeth said and everyone else bursted into laughter. Well, except for Hercules and Hera.

"At least you admit it," Nico said gently before laughing again.

**I could start at any point in my short miserable life to prove it, but things really started going bad last May, when our sixth-grade class took a field trip to Manhattan- twenty-eight mental-case kids and two teachers on a yellow school bus, heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff.**

"Sounds like fun," said Athena, Annabeth, Demeter and Theseus.

"What are you talking about?!" cried Poseidon. "It sounds like torture!"

**I know-it sounds like torture. Most Yancy field trips were.**

"Humph!" Athena huffed.

Annabeth shook her head like everything was hopeless.

Theseus studied Percy.

"Like father, like son," said Hestia, a faint smile on her lips.

**But Mr. Brunner, our Latin teacher, was leading this trip, so I had hopes. Mr. Brunner was this middle-aged guy in a motorized wheelchair. He had thinning hair and a scruffy beard and a frayed tweed jacket, which always smelled like coffee. You wouldn't think he'd be cool, but he told stories and jokes and let us play games in class. He also had this awesome collection of Roman armor and weapons, so he was the only teacher whose class didn't put me to sleep.**

Athena glared at Percy for sleeping in class.

"Sounds familiar..." the Heroes of the Old said thoughtfully.

**I hoped the trip would be okay. At least, I hoped that for once I wouldn't get in trouble.**

Many of the future demigods snorted.

"Please," Thalia said, rolling her eyes.

"Trouble follows you everywhere." Nico continued.

Poseidon only paled, making some demigods from the past jealous. Heracles thought that he can't be jealous because of a demigod. He's a god, for goodness sake!

Percy muttered something about mean, unreliable cousins.

**Boy, was I wrong. **

"See?" said Thalia in triumph.

"No one contradicted you," Jason told his sister.

**See, bad things happen to me on field trips. Like at my fifth-grade school, when we went to the Saratoga battlefield, I had this accident with a Revolutionary War cannon. I wasn't aiming for the school bus, but of course I got expelled anyway. And before that, at my fourth-grade school, when we took a behind- the-scenes tour of the Marine World shark pool, I sort of hit the wrong lever on the catwalk and our class took an unplanned swim. And the time before that... Well, you get the idea.**

"No! I need more!" Hermes and Apollo yelled. "This boy is gold!"

"How do you sort of hit the wrong lever?" Artemis asked.

Percy shrugged.

**This trip, I was determined to be good. All the way into the city, I put up with Nancy Bobofit, the freckly, redheaded kleptomaniac girl, hitting my best friend Grover in the back of the head with chunks of peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich.**

"EW!" Aphrodite and Demeter shrieked.

**Grover was an easy target. He was scrawny. He cried when he got frustrated. He must've been held back several grades, because he was the only sixth grader with acne and the start of a wispy beard on his chin. On top of all that, he was crippled.  
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"I'm telling Grover!" Leo yelled.

**He had a note excusing him from PE for the rest of his life because he had some kind of muscular disease in his legs. He walked funny, like every step hurt him, but don't let that fool you. You should've seen him run when it was enchilada day in the cafeteria.**

"Way to blow your cover, Grover." Frank said."

"You're talking to a book," Percy stared at him.

"I know."

"Oh." Cue eye rolls.

**Anyway, Nancy Bobofit was throwing wads of sandwich that stuck in his curly brown hair, and she knew I couldn't do anything back to her because I was already on probation.**

The future demigods clenched their fists.

**The headmaster had threatened me with death by in-school suspension if anything bad, embarrassing, or even mildly entertaining happened on this trip. **

"Aww..." Ares whined.

**"I'm going to kill her, " I mumbled.**

"DO IT!" many of the deities encouraged.

**Grover tried to calm me down. "It's okay. I like peanut butter."**

"In your hair?!" Several goddesses said in disbelief.

**He dodged another piece of Nancy's lunch. "That's it. " I started to get up, but Grover pulled me back to my seat. **

"Aw, party pooper," Ares groaned,

"Be nice, Ares."

"Yes, mom."

The demigods snickered.

**"You're already on probation, " he reminded me. "You know who'll get blamed if anything happens. "**

"Aw, what a good friend," Aphrodite cooed.

Athena and Artemis nodded, but they were not going to coo.

**Looking back on it, I wish I'd decked Nancy Bobofit right then and there. In-school suspension would've been nothing compared to the mess I was about to get myself into. **

"Ah, foreshadowing." that came from Athena, who made sure Poseidon would hear.

Poseidon paled again.

"Uncle," said Hephaestus, leaning forwards. "If you pale more, you'll be more paler than Uncle Hades."

Several gods chuckled.

**Mr. Brunner led the museum tour. **

"Very familiar," Orion said again. There were murmurs of agreement.

**He rode up front in his wheelchair, guiding us through the big echoey galleries, past marble statues and glass cases full of really old black-and-orange pottery. It blew my mind that this stuff had survived for two thousand, three thousand years. **

"Longer,"Athena and Annabeth said in unison.

"Great minds think alike." Zeus said grinning.

Athena nodded and smiled at her father.

**He gathered us around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top, and started telling us how it was a grave marker, a stele, for a girl about our age. He told us about the carvings on the sides. I was trying to listen to what he had to say, because it was kind of interesting, but everybody around me was talking, and every time I told them to shut up, the other teacher chaperone, Mrs. Dodds, would give me the evil eye.**

"For learning?!"Theseus protested. Athena nodded in agreement.

Annabeth smiled and whispered to Percy, "At least you tried."

Meanwhile, Nico and Hades had their own thoughts: _SHe sounds familiar..._

**Mrs. Dodds was this little math teacher from Georgia who always wore a black leather jacket, even though she was fifty years old. She looked mean enough to ride a Harley right into your locker. She had come to Yancy halfway through the year, when our last math teacher had a nervous breakdown. **

Just then, Hades figured out and quickly flashed on armor.

**From her first day, Mrs. Dodds loved Nancy Bobofit and figured I was a devil spawn. **

"That's Nico," said Thalia.

"No, that's the children of Kronos. He's the devil." Nico replied. Nevertheless, he got some glares.

The demigods who fought in the war nodded.

**She would point her crooked finger at me and say, "Now, honey, " real sweet, and I knew I was going to get after-school detention for a month. **

"Poor boy," Athena said.

Poseidon looked at her weirdly.

"What?! Since my daughter is obviously dating," She pointed to the couple who were making out. "I have to cut him some slack. And even I hate that teacher."

Poseidon smiled thankfully.

**One time, after she'd made me erase answers out of old math workbooks until midnight, I told Grover I didn't think Mrs. Dodds was human. He looked at me, real seri-serious, and said, "You're absolutely right."**

"Oh Grover," Hazel sighed fondly.

**Mr. Brunner kept talking about Greek funeral art. Finally, Nancy Bobofit snickered something about the naked guy on the stele, and I turned around and said, "Will you shut up?" **

"No respect," Artemis growled.

The females nodded in agreement.

**It came out louder than I meant it to.**

"Of course," Hercules sneered.

He got hit by lightning, pecked by owls, splashed by water, hit by skeletons and jewels, burned up abit, hit byu arrows and was charmspeaked to slap himself, hard.

When he glared at the saviors of Olympus, their respective parents glared at him, even Zeus.

"Son, be nice to your cousins and siblings."

"Yes father," he grumbled.

**The whole group laughed. Mr. Brunner stopped his story. "Mr. Jackson, " he said, "did you have a comment?"**

Apollo looked confused. "Why?"

Artemis face-palmed. "Hopeless."

**My face was totally red. I said, "No, sir. " Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the pictures on the stele. "Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?" I looked at the carving, and felt a flush of relief, because I actually recognized it. "That's Kronos eating his kids, right?"**

Six deities groaned.

"Why is it always that one?!"

"UGH!"

"I hate it!"

**"Yes, " Mr. Brunner said, obviously not satisfied. "And he did this because ... "**

Cue more groans.

**"Well... " I racked my brain to remember. "Kronos was the king god, and-"**

"GOD?!" The gods yelled. Even Poseidon.

"Don't worry, someone will correct him," Annabeth assured the Olympian Council, Hades and Hestia smiling but glared at Hercules.

**"God?" Mr. Brunner asked. **

Annabeth threw the gods pointed looks.

**"Titan, " I corrected myself. "And ... He didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right? But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead. And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters-"**

"How did Kronos mistake Zeus for a rock?" Nico asked.

"Well, you see, son. Either one, he was blind or two, Zeus looked like a rock. He was not blind so I'm guessing, Zeus looked like a rock."

"HE HAS NEVER SEEN ME BEFORE, HOW DID HE KNOW THAT I LOOKED LIKE A ROCK, HH, BROTHER?"Zeus thundered.

"Oh." Hades and Poseidon looked at each other then shrugged.

**"Eeew!" said one of the girls behind me. **

"Ew is right," Hera growled. "Try being there!"

**"-and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans, " I continued, "and the gods won. "**

Athena gaped at Percy. "You just summed up the biggest war in history in less than 3 sentences?!"

"Cuz we're awesome," Apollo sing-songed.

"Of course we won," Hermes agreed.

"Not the biggest war," Annabeth muttered. Piper nodded in agreement.

Athena paled. "What did you say, daughter?"

"Nothing, mom!"

** Some snickers from the group. **

"Mortals are weird," Apollo concluded. "I thought he got it right."

** Behind me, Nancy Bobofit mumbled to a friend, "Like we're going to use this in real life. Like it's going to say on our job applications, 'Please explain why Kronos ate his kids. '"**

Dionysus yawned from his throne. "I matters to him, he's a demigod."

The demigods gaped at him.

"WHAT?!"

"You actually listen?!"

"He doesn't in the future?" Aphrodite asked.

The demigods only shook their head.

** "And why, Mr. Jackson, " Brunner said, "to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?"**

"Busted!" said Hermes and Apollo.

Hestia smiled.

**"Busted, " Grover muttered. **

"He thinks like us!" Apollo said, high-fiving Hermes.

**"Shut up, " Nancy hissed, her face even brighter red than her hair.**

"I don't thinks it's possible though," Leo muttered. "Any Percy, why are you so quiet?"

"Preparing for public humiliation," he answered.

Thalia and Nico's eyes widened. "Good idea! Blackmail!"

"What have I done now?!"Percy moaned.

** At least Nancy got packed, too. Mr. Brunner was the only one who ever caught her saying anything wrong. He had radar ears.**

"Or horse ears."

"IT'S CHIRON!" the Heroes of the Old shouted.

**I thought about his question, and shrugged. "I don't know, sir. "**

"Typical Percy answer," Frank said.

"Unreliable nephews," Percy groaned.

**"I see. " Mr. Brunner looked disappointed. "Well, half credit, Mr. Jackson. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan's stomach. The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld. On that happy note, it's time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?"**

"How is that a happy note?" asked Apollo.

"Chiron needs subject-changing lessons." Hermes commented.

"How did yo come up with mustard and wine?" Nico asked.

Zeus's mood darkened. "I didn't. She did."

The demigods sent him blank looks.

** The class drifted off, the girls holding their stomachs, the guys pushing each other around and acting like doofuses.**

"When are they not?" Artemis asked innocently.

"Hey!"

**Grover and I were about to follow when Mr. Brunner said, "Mr. Jackson." I knew that was coming. **

"You do?!"Apollo looked at him with interest.

Percy shook his head.

"Oh."

**I told Grover to keep going. Then I turned toward Mr. Brunner. "Sir?"**

"You show respect!" Jason joked.

Poseidon paled while the other gods narrowed their eyes. _He doesn't show respect?!_

"Shut up, Sparky."

**Mr. Brunner had this look that wouldn't let you go- intense brown eyes that could've been a thousand years old and had seen everything. **

"Not everything. No one has, except Chaos," Athena said.

**You must learn the answer to my question, " Mr. Brunner told me. "About the Titans?" "About real life. And how your studies apply to it. " "Oh. "**

"Typical Percy answer number two," Annabeth told the deities.

"Sounds like Theseus," Orion said.

"I don't sound like that."

"Keep telling yourself that."

"Humph!"

"What you learn from me, " he said, "is vitally important. I expect you to treat it as such. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson."I wanted to get angry, this guy pushed me so hard.

"It's for your own good, seaweed brain."

"I know that now, Wisegirl"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"DON'T BREAK MY EARDRUMS!"

**I mean, sure, it was kind of cool on tournament days, when he dressed up in a suit of Roman armor and shouted: "What ho!'" and challenged us, sword-point against chalk, to run to the board and name every Greek and Roman per-son who had ever lived, and their mother, and what god they worshipped.**

"What is Roman?"

"You'll find out in a few centuries, mother."

"Why a few centuries?"

"Um..." Annabeth smiled at her and placed a finger on her lips.

**But Mr. Brunner expected me to be as good as everybody else, despite the fact that I have dyslexia and attention deficit disorder and I had never made above a C- in my life. No-he didn't expect me to be as good; he expected me to be better. And I just couldn't learn all those names and facts, much less spell them correctly. **

"Why not?"

"We have dyslexia, dad. It's when words seem to swim off the page."

"Do you compare everything to the sea?"

"Yes, Lord Hephaestus,"

"Boring, this needs more action,"

"Be nice, Ares,"

"Yes, mother."

**I mumbled something about trying harder, while Mr. Brunner took one long sad look at the stele, like he'd been at this girl's funeral. He told me to go outside and eat my lunch. The class gathered on the front steps of the museum, where we could watch the foot traffic along Fifth Avenue. Overhead, a huge storm was brewing, with clouds blacker than I'd ever seen over the city. I figured maybe it was global warming or something, because the weather all across New York state had been weird since Christmas. **

Cue weird looks for Zeus.

**We'd had massive snow storms, flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes. I wouldn't have been surprised if this was a hurricane came blowing in. **

Now both brothers suddenly found the pillars holding up the ceiling very interesting.

**Nobody else seemed to notice. Some of the guys were pelting pigeons with Lunchables crackers. Nancy Bobofit was trying to pickpocket something from a lady's purse, and, of course, Mrs. Dodds wasn't seeing a thing. **

"NOT MINE!" Hermes yelped when he got pointed looks.

**Grover and I sat on the edge of the fountain, away from the others. We thought that maybe if we did that, everybody wouldn't know we were from that school-the school for loser freaks who couldn't make it elsewhere.**

"Did it work?" Hazel asked.

"No, of course not."

**"Detention?" Grover asked. "Nah, " I said. "Not from Brunner. I just wish he'd lay off me sometimes. I mean-I'm not a genius. "**

"Understatement." Piper nodded.

"That's why I need my Wisegirl."

Aphrodite started bouncing on her throne.

Grover didn't say anything for a while. Then, when I thought he was going to give me some deep philosophical comment to make me feel better, he said, "Can I have your apple?

Everyone except Hercules bursted into laughter. "Stupid."

Cue the glares, again.

**I didn't have much of an appetite, so I let him take it. **

"Let me finish reading and then you could comment."

**I watched the stream of cabs going down Fifth Avenue, and thought about my mom's apartment, only a little ways uptown from where we sat. I hadn't seen her since Christmas. I wanted so bad to jump in a taxi and head home. She'd hug me and be glad to see me, but she'd be disappointed, too. She'd send me right back to Yancy, remind me that I had to try harder, even if this was my sixth school in six years and I was probably going to be kicked out again. I wouldn't be able to stand that sad look she'd give me.**

**Mr. Brunner parked his wheelchair at the base of the handicapped ramp. He ate celery while he read a paperback novel. A red umbrella stuck up from the back of his chair, making it look like a motorized cafe table.**

**I was about to unwrap my sandwich when Nancy Bobofit appeared in front of me with her ugly friends-I guess she'd gotten tired of stealing from the tourists-and dumped her half-eaten lunch in Grover's lap.**

**"Oops. " She grinned at me with her crooked teeth. Her freckles were orange, as if somebody had spray- painted her face with liquid Cheetos.**

**I tried to stay cool. The school counselor had told me a million times, "Count to ten, get control of your temper.**

**But I was so mad my mind went blank. A wave roared in my ears.**

**I don't remember touching her, but the next thing I knew, Nancy was sitting on her butt in the fountain, screaming, "Percy pushed me!"**

**Mrs. Dodds materialized next to us.**

**Some of the kids were whispering: "Did you see-"**

**"-the water-"**

**"-like it grabbed her-"**

**I didn't know what they were talking about. All I knew was that I was in trouble again.**

**As soon as Mrs. Dodds was sure poor little Nancy was okay, promising to get her a new shirt at the museum gift shop, Mrs. Dodds turned on me. There was a triumphant fire in her eyes, as if I'd done something she'd been waiting for all semester. "Now, honey-**

**"I know, " I grumbled. "A month erasing workbooks.**

**That wasn't the right thing to say. "Come with me, " Mrs. Dodds said.**

**"Wait!" Grover yelped. "It was me. I pushed her. "**

**I stared at him, stunned. I couldn't believe he was trying to cover for me. Mrs. Dodds scared Grover to death.**

**She glared at him so hard his whiskery chin trembled.**

**"I don't think so, Mr. Underwood, " she said.**

**"But-"**

**"You-will-stay-here. "**

**Grover looked at me desperately. **

** "It's okay, man, " I told him. "Thanks for trying. "**

**"Honey, " Mrs. Dodds barked at me. "Now. "**

** Nancy Bobofit smirked. **

** I gave her my deluxe I'll-kill-you-later stare. Then I turned to face Mrs. Dodds, but she wasn't there. She was standing at the museum entrance, way at the top of the steps, gesturing impatiently at me to come on. **

**How'd she get there so fast?**

"Monster," Athena thought.

**I have moments like that a lot, when my brain falls asleep or something, and the next thing I know I've missed something, as if a puzzle piece fell out of the universe and left me staring at the blank place behind it. The school counselor told me this was part of the ADHD, my brain misinterpreting things.  
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**I wasn't so sure.**

**I went after Mrs. Dodds.**

**Halfway up the steps, I glanced back at Grover. He was looking pale, cutting his eyes between me and Mr. Brunner, like he wanted Mr. Brunner to notice what was going on, but Mr. Brunner was absorbed in his novel.**

Poseidon groaned. "Chiron!"

**I looked back up. Mrs. Dodds had disappeared again. She was now inside the building, at the end of the entrance hall.**

Poseidon became paler and paler as did the other sons of Poseidon.

**Okay, I thought. She's going to make me buy a new shirt for Nancy at the gift shop.  
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**But apparently that wasn't the plan. **

**I followed her deeper into the museum. When I finally caught up to her, we were back in the Greek and Roman section.**

Except for us, the gallery was empty.

**Mrs. Dodds stood with her arms crossed in front of a big marble frieze of the Greek gods. She was making this weird noise in her throat, like growling. **

**Even without the noise, I would've been nervous. It's weird being alone with a teacher, especially Mrs. Dodds. Something about the way she looked at the frieze, as if she wanted to pulverize it...**

**"You've been giving us problems, honey, " she said.**

**I did the safe thing. I said, "Yes, ma'am. "**

Apollo opened his mouth but quickly closed it.

**She tugged on the cuffs of her leather jacket. "Did you really think you would get away with it?"**

Everyone had a confused face that clearly stated, what?

**The look in her eyes was beyond mad. It was evil.**

**She's a teacher, I thought nervously. It's not like she's going to hurt me.**

** "I'll-I'll try harder, ma'am. "**

**Thunder shook the building.**

**"We are not fools, Percy Jackson, " Mrs. Dodds said. "It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess, and you will suffer less pain. "**

**I didn't know what she was talking about.**

**All I could think of was that the teachers must've found the illegal stash of candy I'd been selling out of my dorm room. Or maybe they'd realized I got my essay on Tom Sawyer from the Internet without ever reading the book and now they were going to take away my grade. Or worse, they were going to make me read the book.**

"You will read it, Seaweed Brain. It's a classic."

"Okay anything for you."

"Aphrodite squealed again.

**"Well?" she demanded.**

**"Ma'am, I don't... "**

**"Your time is up, " she hissed.**

**Then the weirdest thing happened. Her eyes began to glow like barbecue coals. Her fingers stretched, turning into talons. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. She wasn't human. She was a shriveled hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was about to slice me to ribbons.**

"HADES! HOW DARE YOU SEND A FURY AT MY SON!"

**Then things got even stranger.**

**Mr. Brunner, who'd been out in front of the museum a minute before, wheeled his chair into the doorway of the gallery, holding a pen in his hand.**

**"What ho, Percy!" he shouted, and tossed the pen through the air.**  
><strong>Mrs. Dodds lunged at me.<strong>

**With a yelp, I dodged and felt talons slash the air next to my ear. I snatched the ballpoint pen out of the air, but when it hit my hand, it wasn't a pen anymore. It was a sword-Mr. Brunner's bronze sword, which he always used on tournament day.**

**Mrs. Dodds spun toward me with a murderous look in her eyes.**

**My knees were jelly. My hands were shaking so bad I almost dropped the sword.**

"Wimp."

"Be nice, Ares."

"Okay, mom."

**She snarled, "Die, honey!"**

**And she flew straight at me.**

**Absolute terror ran through my body. I did the only thing that came naturally: I swung the sword.**

**The metal blade hit her shoulder and passed clean through her body as if she were made of water. Hisss!**  
><strong>Mrs. Dodds was a sand castle in a power fan. She exploded into yellow powder, vaporized on the spot, leaving nothing but the smell of sulfur and a dying screech and a chill of evil in the air, as if those two glowing red eyes were still watching me.<strong>

**I was alone.**

**There was a ballpoint pen in my hand.**

**Mr. Brunner wasn't there. Nobody was there but me.**

"You're still letting the mist control you?" asked Athena.

Percy shrugged.

**My hands were still trembling. My lunch must've been contaminated with magic mushrooms or something.**

**Had I imagined the whole thing?**

**I went back outside.**

**It had started to rain.**

**Grover was sitting by the fountain, a museum map tented over his head. Nancy Bobofit was still standing there, soaked from her swim in the fountain, grumbling to her ugly friends. When she saw me, she said, "I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butt. "**

"Who?" said Theseus, Orion, and Poseidon.

"I can see the family resemblance," Hestia said, smiling. "Although I thought I said to not interrupt me."

**I said, "Who?"**

**"Our teacher. Duh!"**

**I blinked. We had no teacher named Mrs. Kerr. I asked Nancy what she was talking about.**

**She just rolled her eyes and turned away.**

**I asked Grover where Mrs. Dodds was.**

**He said, "Who?"**

**But he paused first, and he wouldn't look at me, so I thought he was messing with me.**

**"Not funny, man, " I told him. "This is serious. "**

**Thunder boomed overhead.**

**I saw Mr. Brunner sitting under his red umbrella, reading his book, as if he'd never moved.**

**I went over to him.**

**He looked up, a little distracted. "Ah, that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensil in the future, Mr. Jackson. "**

**I handed Mr. Brunner his pen. I hadn't even realized I was still holding it.**

**"Sir, " I said, "where's Mrs. Dodds?"**  
><strong>He stared at me blankly. "Who?"<strong>

**"The other chaperone. Mrs. Dodds. The pre-algebra teacher. "**

**He frowned and sat forward, looking mildly concerned. "Percy, there is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy. Are you feeling all right?"**

"Chiron clearly knows how to lie, unlike Grover," Hermes commented.


	3. Socks of Death

**Also, I know this is overused. If you have already read my other story, don't worry, I will update both every week. **

Disclaimer: If I owned Percy Jackson, why would I be typing this up? All rights go to Mr. Rick Riordan

* * *

><p><strong>THREE OLD LADIES KNIT THE SOCKS OF DEATH<strong>

**I was used to the occasional weird experience, but usually they were over quickly. This twenty- four/seven hallucination was more than I could handle. For the rest of the school year, the entire campus seemed to be playing some kind of trick on me. The students acted as if they were completely and totally convinced that Mrs. Kerr-a perky blond woman whom I'd never seen in my life until she got on our bus at the end of the field trip-had been our pre-algebra teacher since Christmas. **Annabeth started to read.

There were several snorts coming from the Olympians.

"Gotta love mortals," Apollo sighed. "So easy to trick."

**Every so often I would spring a Mrs. Dodds reference on somebody, just to see if I could trip them up, but they would stare at me like I was psycho.**

"You are psycho!" Everyone from the future shouted.

The gods sat there amused while Percy muttered, "Unreliable friends these days."

Meanwhile, Hercules gave Thalia a look of approval which she returned with a glare.

**It got so I almost believed them-Mrs. Dodds had never existed. Almost.**

"Ten drachmas it's Grover," Apollo said to Hermes.

"Even I'm not dumb enough to take that bet," he replied, shaking his head.

**But Grover couldn't fool me. When I mentioned the name Dodds to him, he would hesitate, then claim she didn't exist. But I knew he was lying.**

"Remember to tell me to teach him how to lie," Hermes said to the demigods from the future.

"Your sons," Piper said. "Whose names are Travis and Conner Stoll has already been giving out lessons."

**Something was going on. Something had happened at the museum. **

"No shit," Hercules sneered. Needless to say, he was attacked again.

**I didn't have much time to think about it during the days, but at night, visions of Mrs. Dodds with talons and leathery wings would wake me up in a cold sweat. The freak weather continued, which didn't help my mood. One night, a thunderstorm blew out the windows in my dorm room. A few days later, the biggest tornado ever spotted in the Hudson Valley touched down only fifty miles from Yancy Academy. One of the current events we studied in social studies class was the unusual number of small planes that had gone down in sudden squalls in the Atlantic that year.**

"What are you fighting about exactly?" Artemis asked. "You have never been like this."

"We don't know," said Zeus. "Future remember?"

Athena looked back to the title. Suddenly, she gasped. She looked at the demigods.

Annabeth placed a finger on her lips.

"Daughter, I see you have it figured out. What is it?"

"I'm not spoiling anything."

The other Olympians all huffed.

**I started feeling cranky and irritable most of the time. My grades slipped from Ds to Fs. I got into more fights with Nancy Bobofit and her friends. I was sent out into the hallway in almost every class. **

Athena shook her head but didn't comment. She would wait until the very end.

**I started feeling cranky and irritable most of the time. My grades slipped from Ds to Fs.**

Looks of disapproval were sent towards Percy but no comments.

** I got into more fights with Nancy Bobofit and her friends.**

"Fights or arguments?" Ares asked excitedly, hoping it would be actual fights.

"Arguments."

The smile wiped off his face.

** I was sent out into the hallway in almost every class. **

This time, Theseus shook his head.

**Finally, when our English teacher, Mr. Nicoll, asked me for the millionth time why I was too lazy to study for spelling tests, I snapped. I called him an old sot. I wasn't even sure what it meant, but it sounded good. **

There were giggles coming from the people who understood the phrase.

"Look at throne 12 if you still don't know," Athena laughed.

"HEY!"

But everyone was too busy laughing. They took a good five minutes just attempting to calm down.

**The headmaster sent my mom a letter the following week, making it official: I would not be invited back next year to Yancy Academy. Fine, I told myself. Just fine. I was homesick. **

The goddesses cooed. The gods that rolled their eyes were attacked with lightning bolts (Athena took one from Zeus), owls, arrows, make up, shoes, cows, cereal, wheat, and fire.

**I wanted to be with my mom in our little apartment on the Upper East Side, even if I had to go to public school and put up with my obnoxious stepfather and his stupid poker parties. **

Poseidon narrowed his eyes at the book.

**And yet... There were things I'd miss at Yancy. The view of the woods out my dorm window, the Hudson River in the distance, the smell of pine trees. I'd miss Grover, who'd been a good friend, even if he was a little strange. I worried how he'd survive next year without me. **

"What a good friend," Hestia commented.

"But a bit too loyal," Athena mused. "I wonder..."

** I'd miss Latin class, too-Mr. Brunner's crazy tournament days and his faith that I could do well. **

The demigods smiled.

Perseus glanced at Hercules who did not look happy.

**As exam week got closer, Latin was the only test I studied for. I hadn't forgotten what Mr. Brunner had told me about this subject being life-and-death for me. I wasn't sure why, but I'd started to believe him. **

A chorus of 'good's filled the room.

**The evening before my final, I got so frustrated I threw the Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology across my dorm room.**

Percy basically withered under Athena's glare.

** Words had started swimming off the page, circling my head, the letters doing one- eighties as if they were riding skateboards. There was no way I was going to remember the difference between Chiron and Charon, or Polydictes and Polydeuces. And conjugating those Latin verbs? Forget it. **

"At least now he knows it," muttered Jason.

"WHAT?!" Poseidon, Orion and Theseus yelled.

** I paced the room, feeling like ants were crawling around inside my shirt.**

"How would you know how that feels?" asked Hermes.

"Travis and Conner," Percy replied.

** I remembered Mr. Brunner's serious expression, his thousand-year-old eyes. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson. I took a deep breath. I picked up the mythology book. **

Athena nodded. "Good," she said.

** I'd never asked a teacher for help before. Maybe if I talked to Mr. Brunner, he could give me some pointers. At least I could apologize for the big fat F I was about to score on his exam. I didn't want to leave Yancy Academy with him thinking I hadn't tried. **

"Maybe that's why you aren't doing so well," Annabeth murmured gently.

"I know that now,"

**I walked downstairs to the faculty offices. Most of them were dark and empty, but Mr. Brunner's door was ajar, light from his window stretching across the hallway floor. **

"What were you doing there?" Leo asked.

"Oh, I was bored."

"..."

**I was three steps from the door handle when I heard voices inside the office. Mr. Brunner asked a question. A voice that was definitely Grover's said "... Worried about Percy, sir. "**

"Eavesdropping," Hermes said, approvingly.

Annabeth rolled her eyes and read the next sentence.

**I froze. I'm not usually an eavesdropper, but I dare you to try not listening if you hear your best friend talking about you to an adult. **

"Point taken," Artemis muttered.

**I inched closer. **

**"... Alone this summer, " Grover was saying. "I mean, a Kindly One in the school! Now that we know for sure, and they know too-"**  
><strong>"We would only make matters worse by rushing him, " Mr. Brunner said. "We need the boy to mature more. "<strong>

"Then we will all be dead already. Still waiting for him to mature." Thalia laughed.

"Yea. HEY!"

**"But he may not have time. The summer solstice dead-line- "**

"What summer solstice deadline?" Zeus demanded.

"Um... um..." suddenly, the demigods found their shoes interesting.

He turned his gaze to Athena who grabbed her spear and was suddenly polishing it.

"I won't get an answer, will I?"

"In the book," a demigod answered.

**"Will have to be resolved without him, Grover. Let him enjoy his ignorance while he still can. "**

Hercules snorted. "Idiot."

Cue the attacks.

"Son? I suggest you keep your mouth shut."

**"Sir, he saw her... . "**

"No shit," Ares said, still pretty ticked that there was not much action.

"Language, Ares."

"Yes, mother."

There were snickers.

**"His imagination, " Mr. Brunner insisted. "The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince him of that. "**

Percy made a face. "I have no imagination."

Leo and Nico ended up rolling on the floor laughing.

"**Sir, I ... I can't fail in my duties again. " Grover's voice was choked with emotion. "You know what that would mean. "**

"IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT GROVER!"

"Thals? You're talking to a book."

"Your point?"

"..."

**"You haven't failed, Grover, " Mr. Brunner said kindly. "I should have seen her for what she was. Now let's just worry about keeping Percy alive until next fall-"**

"EXACTLY!"

Poseidon choked on the water he was drinking. "Alive?!"

** The mythology book dropped out of my hand and hit the floor with a thud. **

"NO! RULE NUMBER 25: DO NOT GIVE AWAY YOUR POSITION!"

"SHUT UP, HERMES!"

"Yes, Artemis."

**Mr. Brunner went silent. My heart hammering, I picked up the book and backed down the hall. **

"Good, rule number 26: gather all evidence and retreat."

**A shadow slid across the lighted glass of Brunner's office door, the shadow of something much taller than my wheelchair-bound teacher, holding something that looked suspiciously like an archer's bow.**

"Why is he out of his disguise?"

"To stretch?"

"Oh."

**I opened the nearest door and slipped inside. A few seconds later I heard a slow clop-clop-clop, like muffled wood blocks, then a sound like an animal snuffling right outside my door. A large, dark shape paused in front of the glass, then moved on. A bead of sweat trickled down my neck. Somewhere in the hallway, Mr. Brunner spoke. "Nothing, " he murmured. "My nerves haven't been right since the winter solstice. " "Mine neither, " Grover said. "But I could have sworn ... ""Go back to the dorm, " Mr. Brunner told him. "You've got a long day of exams tomorrow. "**

Everyone shivered, even Theseus and Athena.

**"Don't remind me. "**

Hercules rolled his eyes.

T**he lights went out in Mr. Brunner's office. I waited in the dark for what seemed like forever. **

"Good. Rule 75: wait until the coast is clear before retreating."

** Finally, I slipped out into the hallway and made my way back up to the dorm. Grover was lying on his bed, studying his Latin exam notes like he'd been there all night. "Hey, " he said, bleary-eyed. "You going to be ready for this test?"****I didn't answer. "You look awful. " He frowned. "Is everything okay?""Just... Tired. "**

"LIAR!" Apollo and Hermes yelled and then laughed.

**I turned so he couldn't read my expression, and started getting ready for bed. **

"He could read emotions." Frank frowned.

"A satyr?" Perseus asked.

The demigods smiled and placed a finger in front of their lips again.

"Humph."

**I didn't understand what I'd heard downstairs. I wanted to believe I'd imagined the whole thing. But one thing was clear: Grover and Mr. Brunner were talking about me behind my back. They thought I was in some kind of danger. **

"All demigods are always in some kind of danger," The future demigods said miserably.

The gods looked ashamed.

**The next afternoon, as I was leaving the three-hour Latin exam, my eyes swimming with all the Greek and Roman names I'd misspelled, Mr. Brunner called me back inside. **

"THREE HOURS!" The demigods cried. "Have mercy!"

**For a moment, I was worried he'd found out about my eavesdropping the night before, but that didn't seem to be the problem. **

Annabeth shook her head. "Seaweed Brain."

**"Percy, " he said. "Don't be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It's ... It's for the best. "**

"Tell my sons to give Chiron pep-talk lessons."

"They're already at it," Hazel said. "After Chiron's archery lessons."

**His tone was kind, but the words still embarrassed me. Even though he was speaking quietly, the other kids finishing the test could hear. Nancy Bobofit smirked at me and made sarcastic little kissing motions with her lips.**

Aphrodite looked like she wanted to vomit. "Does she have a crush on you or something?" She asked weakly.

Percy ran out to the toilets and came back with a pale face.

** I mumbled, "Okay, sir. "**

Dionysus sighed, obviously bored. "Chiron's always like that."

**"I mean ... " Mr. Brunner wheeled his chair back and forth, like he wasn't sure what to say. "This isn't the right place for you. It was only a matter of time. "My eyes stung. **

"Wimp!"

"Be nice, Ares!"

**Here was my favorite teacher, in front of the class, telling me I couldn't handle it. After saying he believed in me all year, now he was telling me I was destined to get kicked out. "Right, " I said, trembling. "No, no, " Mr. Brunner said. "Oh, confound it all. What I'm trying to say ... You're not normal, Percy. That's nothing to be-"**

"That's just sad," Orion commented.

**Thanks, " I blurted. "Thanks a lot, sir, for reminding me. "Percy-" But I was already gone. On the last day of the term, I shoved my clothes into my suitcase. The other guys were joking around, talking about their vacation plans. One of them was going on a hiking trip to Switzerland. Another was cruising the Caribbean for a month. They were juvenile delinquents, like me, but they were rich juvenile delinquents. Their daddies were executives, or ambassadors, or celebrities. I was a nobody, from a family of nobodies. **

"HEY!" Everyone shouted. "Extended family! I am not a nobody!"

"Well, there is Nobody in this room," Percy smirked.

"You just love Nobody, don't you?" Grover asked, laughing.

"Nobody loves you too," Annabeth assured him.

They laughed while everyone sat there, confused.

**They asked me what I'd be doing this summer and I told them I was going back to the city. **

"That's nice," Hera said."

**What I didn't tell them was that I'd have to get a summer job walking dogs or selling magazine subscriptions, and spend my free time worrying about where I'd go to school in the fall.**

Everyone looked at him sympathetically.

"Or you could join us at: CAMP HALF-BLOOD, the MOST AWESOMEST CAMP!" Leo yelled.

Hephaestus smiled at his son's level of enthusiasm.

**"Oh, " one of the guys said. "That's cool. "They went back to their conversation as if I'd never existed.**

"Humph! I take my words back!"

**The only person I dreaded saying good-bye to was Grover, but as it turned out, I didn't have to. He'd booked a ticket to Manhattan on the same Greyhound as I had, so there we were, together again, heading into the city. **

"What a coincidence," Hades said sarcastically.

"I know right?!" Apollo asked.

A new batch of face-palms were just delivered. Plus a smack.

**During the whole bus ride, Grover kept glancing nervously down the aisle, watching the other passengers. It occurred to me that he'd always acted nervous and fidgety when we left Yancy, as if he expected something bad to happen. Before, I'd always assumed he was worried about getting teased. But there was nobody to tease him on the Greyhound. **

Demeter frowned. "Isn't that supposed to be a good thing?"

"Huh?"

"Nevermind."

**Finally I couldn't stand it anymore. I said, "Looking for Kindly Ones?"**

"You probably gave him a heart-attack, Kelp Head."

"Shut up, Pinecone Face."

"Shut up, both of you."

"YEs, Wisegirl/ Annie."

"Don't call me Annie."

"Yes, Annie."

**Grover nearly jumped out of his seat. "Wha-what do you mean?" I confessed about eavesdropping on him and Mr. Brunner the night before the exam.**

"NO! NEVER CONFESS!"

**Grover's eye twitched. "How much did you hear?"**

"Bet he said not much."

"Everyone knows that."

"Guys, I feel loved."

"You're welcome."

**"Oh ... Not much. What's the summer solstice dead-line?"**

"Liar. You heard everything."

"Geez, Piper."

**He winced. "Look, Percy ... I was just worried for you, see? I mean, hallucinating about demon math teachers ... "Grover-" ****"And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe you were overstressed or something, because there was no such person as Mrs. Dodds, and ... "**

"Grover, you're a really bad liar."

**"Grover, you're a really, really bad liar. "**

"NO! Nico, we lost you to Percy-itis."

"Percy-itis?"

"A disease where you think like Kelp Head. Solution? Run to the hills and- "

Nico ran off.

I feel the love, really," Percy said sarcastically.

Annabeth smiled innocently.

**His ears turned pink. **  
><strong>From his shirt pocket, he fished out a grubby business card. "Just take this, okay? In case you need me this summer. <strong>  
><strong>The card was in fancy script, <strong>

"Why are the cards in script since you have dyslexia?"

"The person Grandpa Zeus sent to Camp is like that, mother."

"Who did I sent?"

"You'll see."

**which was murder on my dyslexic eyes, but I finally made out something like:**  
><strong>Grover Underwood<strong>  
><strong>Keepe<strong>**r  
><strong>**Half-Blood Hill  
><strong>**Long Island, New York  
>(800) 009-0009<strong>

"I didn't know that."

"Prank calls!"

"Good idea, Leo."

**"What's Half-"**  
><strong>"Don't say it aloud!" he yelped. "That's my, um ... Sum-mer address. "My heart sank. Grover had a summer home. I'd never considered that his family might be as rich as the others at Yancy. "Okay, " I said glumly. "So, like, if I want to come visit your mansion.<strong>  
><strong>"He nodded. "Or ... Or if you need me. "<strong>  
><strong>"Why would I need you?"<strong>

"Harsh," Hephaestus winced.

** It came out harsher than I meant it to. **

"At least he knows it." Athena commented.

** Grover blushed right down to his Adam's apple. "Look, Percy, the truth is, I-I kind of have to protect you. "**  
><strong>I stared at him. All year long, I'd gotten in fights, keeping bullies away from him. I'd lost sleep worrying that he'd get beaten up next year without me. And here he was acting like he was the one who defended me. <strong>

"What a good friend."

**"Grover, " I said, "what exactly are you protecting me from?"**

"Just half of the Olympian Council, the Lord of the Dead, bloodthirsty monsters and titans, several giants, and-"

Percy clamped a hand over Jason's mouth. "My dad will be going crazy!"

Sure enough, Poseidon looked close to hibernating.

**There was a huge grinding noise under our feet. Black smoke poured from the dashboard and the whole bus filled with a smell like rotten eggs. The driver cursed and limped the Greyhound over to the side of the highway. After a few minutes clanking around in the engine compartment, the driver announced that we'd all have to get off. Grover and I filed outside with everybody else. We were on a stretch of country road-no place you'd notice if you didn't break down there. On our side of the highway was nothing but maple trees and litter from passing cars. On the other side, across four lanes of asphalt shimmering with afternoon heat, was an old-fashioned fruit stand. **

The gods stiffened.

** The stuff on sale looked really good: heaping boxes of blood red cherries and apples, walnuts and apricots, jugs of cider in a claw-foot tub full of ice. There were no customers, just three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks I'd ever seen.I mean these socks were the size of sweaters, but they were clearly socks. The lady on the right knitted one of them. The lady on the left knitted the other. The lady in the middle held an enormous basket of electric-blue yarn. All three women looked ancient, with pale faces wrinkled like fruit leather, silver hair tied back in white bandannas, bony arms sticking out of bleached cotton dresses. The weirdest thing was, they seemed to be looking right at me. **

The Olympians stared at him, wondering how he was alive. Orion and Theseus just fainted.

**I looked over at Grover to say something about this and saw that the blood had drained from his face. His nose was twitching. **

Poseidon's eyes were twitching.

**"Grover?" I said. "Hey, man-"**  
><strong>Tell me they're not looking at you. They are, aren't they?"<strong>  
><strong> "Yeah. Weird, huh? You think those socks would fit me?"<strong>

Thalia scowled. "Not funny, man."

**"Not funny, Percy. Not funny at all. "**

The tension was so thick, no one bothered to point out the similarity between Thalia and Grover.

**The old lady in the middle took out a huge pair of scissors-gold and silver, long-bladed, like shears. I heard Grover catch his breath. **

Like everyone. But Percy and Annabeth knew who was the owner of this line.

**"We're getting on the bus, " he told me. "Come on. "**

"Yes, please," begged Poseidon.

**"What?" I said. "It's a thousand degrees in there. "**

"JUST GET IN THE BUS!" Hermes and Apollo shouted. They did not want their cousin to die.

**"Come on!'" He pried open the door and climbed inside, but I stayed back. **

The throne room was filled with groans.

**Across the road, the old ladies were still watching me. The middle one cut the yarn, and I swear I could hear that snip across four lanes of traffic. Her two friends balled up the electric-blue socks, leaving me wondering who they could possibly be for-Sasquatch or Godzilla. **

The tension was still very thick despite the fact that there were a few chuckles.

**At the rear of the bus, the driver wrenched a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine compartment. The bus shuddered, and the engine roared back to life. **

"A bit too late." Leo muttered.

Hazel scowled. "Not helping."

**The passengers cheered. "Darn right!" yelled the driver. He slapped the bus with his hat. "Everybody back on board!" ****Once we got going, I started feeling feverish, as if I'd caught the flu. **

"Just a side effect," someone muttered.

**Grover didn't look much better. He was shivering and his teeth were chattering. "Grover?" "Yeah?" "What are you not telling me?"**

"How about, everything?" Athena said sarcastically.

"Hey! Athena said something mean!"

"She's not my daughter," Hera said whilst Ares grumbled. But Hera was thinking something else. _Metis was a good sister to me. Now that she is gone, it's up to me to take care of her daughter. She was before me. Athena was not the result of my husband and someone else, but my brother and a sister. _

**He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve. "Percy, what did you see back at the fruit stand?" "You mean the old ladies? What is it about them, man? They're not like ... Mrs. Dodds, are they?" His expression was hard to read, but I got the feeling that the fruit-stand ladies were something much, much worse than Mrs. Dodds. He said, "Just tell me what you saw. " "The middle one took out her scissors, and she cut the yarn. "He closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers that might've been crossing himself, but it wasn't. It was something else, something almost-older. He said, "You saw her snip the cord. **

"No duh?"

**"Yeah. So?" But even as I said it, I knew it was a big deal. **

"How are the fates not a big deal?" Demeter asked.

**This is not happening, " Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. "I don't want this to be like the last time. " ****"What last time?" "Always sixth grade. They never get past sixth. "**

"Remember to tell me to slap him when we get back," Thalia huffed.

"Grover, " I said, because he was really starting to scare me. "What are you talking about? "Let me walk you home from the bus station. Promise me. "This seemed like a strange request to me, but I promised he could. "Is this like a superstition or something?" I asked.

"Ten drachmas he breaks the deal," Apollo said to Hercules.

"Okay."

**No answer. "Grover-that snipping of the yarn. Does that mean somebody is going to die?"He looked at me mournfully, like he was already picking the kind of flowers I'd like best on my coffin. **

There was a moment of silence.

"We'll have a 30-minute break," Zeus said at last. "I think this is necessary. Meet back here in one hour."


	4. Break One

**Also, I know this is overused. If you have already read my other story, don't worry, I will update both every week. **

Disclaimer: If I owned Percy Jackson, why would I be typing this up? All rights go to Mr. Rick Riordan

* * *

><p><strong>With Poseidon<strong>

As soon as Zeus announced a 30-minute break, Poseidon grabbed his three sons and flashed them to a nearby garden. Orion and Theseus helped him tie Percy to a tree.

"Young man," Poseidon said seriously. "Today you are going to tell me what exactly did you do."

"Sorry dad, no spoilers, remember?"

"Okay, some basic questions so that technically, you won't be spoiling.

Percy pouted but nodded his head.

"Okay. How many quests did you go one?" he demanded.

"Um..." A bead of sweat trickled down the hero's head. "Four?" he squeaked.

"Then why are there ten books?" Theseus asked.

"Humph. Five..."

There are ten books, brother. Theseus is a book freak so he has a idea of things."

"Um... fine. A lot but those are in two others. Though they don't really count as a quest..."

"What's your relationship with the daughter of my rival?"

"Um... do I have to answer?"

"Owl Head told me that you guys are likely to be dating. If you don't answer, I will know anyway."

"Uh... she is right."

"You cannot date that girl." Poseidon concluded.

Percy grew angry. "Well, father, you cannot prevent that. If you separate that, you will be changing fate."

"But son," Poseidon said, sitting down. "Children of Athena are no fun. They fathers-"

"Why do you care?" Percy interrupted him. "Unless you are jealous. You don't seem to mind Athena as of now. Your problem is her father."

"I-"

"Father, you know your jealousy is irrational."

Poseidon's face was priceless. "I-"

Now this time, Orion was the one who interrupted him. "Um, father? Is it all true?"

"Now, don't be ridiculous-"

"Yea father, don't be ridiculous and let me go. You know that is the truth."

"Now, brother Percy. You must have made a mistake. Father and Lady Athena absolutely loathe each other."

Poseidon nodded desperately.

"Unless father started having feelings for her while they argue."

"Aiya!" Poseidon face-palmed and muttered, "Unreliable sons. And I thought at least one would help me!"

* * *

><p><strong>With Athena<strong>

Athena took Annabeth to the library and for a moment none of them said anything.

"Does the sea spawn always get into trouble?" Athena said at last.

Annabeth paused in the middle of a page. "Um.. not always, but often. Same could be said for me."

"How?"

"No spoilers, mother."

"I think I will hate those words."

"I know you will."

"How many quests?"

"Um... I guess four?"

"What do you mean I guess?"

"Well, I don't know if you could call the other ones quest or not."

"So I guess you are going to go on a quest in the first book."

"Uh... yea, bring some stress relievers,"

"Oh, I will. And I will remember to kill your boyfriend if he hurts you."

Annabeth choked on thin air. "What?!"

You guys were making out."

"So you are fine with it?"

"As long as he doesn't hurt you and displeases me."

Annabeth smiled and hugged her mother, much to the goddess's surprise. Then, she flipped the page. "Hey! Who is this person?"

"Your grandmother. But first things first." Athena stroked the stand of gray hair in her daughter's hair. "You cannot get this strand of hair in any situation except one. I asked Iris to dye that strand of hair to it's original color but it didn't work. A title of the book is called the Titan's Curse. Did you or did you not bear it?"

Annabeth blinked once. Then twice. "Er..."

Athena tapped her feet impatiently. "Mhm?"

Annabeth gulped. "I didn't?"

"You sound unsure."

"I guess I did?"

"Why?"

"Er..." She racked her brain, thinking of anything that might save her. "No spoilers?"

The strict goddess cracked a smile. "Okay. Good combat." Then she became serious again. I hope it's not because of the sea spawn."

Annabeth shook her head. "You don't have to worry about that." Then, she held up the portrait. "It says Hestia painted this picture of grandma..."

* * *

><p><strong>With Zeus<strong>

Zeus walked with Hera, Hercules, Perseus, Thalia and Jason.

The first thing that made him realize this was a mistake? The way Thalia and Jason were glowering at Hercules. Second mistake? The way Hera was glaring at him. And third was the awkward silence.

He cleared his throat. "Um, so, Thalia, how did you become the lieutenant of Artemis?"

Thalia broke away from glaring at Hercules, if only for a while. "Well, first of all, a boy who I knew when I was very little broke my heart," she said sadly. "And a friend passed away that was the former lieutenant back at my time. And the third reason... it should be stated in the book."

He nodded and then Thalia went back to glaring. "Jason? Why are you Roman while Thalia is Greek?"

"Um, well, no spoiling, remember dad?"

He did not remove his gaze from Hercules.

So, Zeus turned to Hera. "Wow, my two demigod children really hate Hercules."

Hera shrugged. "Athena does too. Maybe because he took credit for something he had help with?"

"That made my children angry at him?" Zeus asked in bewilderment.

As if on cue, Perseus asked, "So, sister and brother, why do you hate Hercules?"

Thalia and Jason looked at him. "Me, because of a friend called Zoë."

"And me because I happen to meet him on... a voyage." They continued glaring.

Perseus and Zeus looked at each other and continued walking.

* * *

><p><strong>With Hades<strong>

Nico and Hazel and Hades were just walking in the shadows while jewels popped out everywhere. All they did was walk for 30 awkward minutes, much like Zeus and maybe a bit better.

* * *

><p><strong>With Aphrodite<strong>

Piper and Aphrodite were arguing already. This time, it was because Piper was not happy that Aphrodite flashed a lacy blue dress on her.

"Mom!"

"Now, Piper. It may not feel familiar, but trust me, it looks beautiful!"

"But I have a boyfriend! I don't need people staring at me."

"Who might that be?"

"His name is Jason, mom."

"Hm... Jason Grace? Son of Zeus? Hm... I'd prefer it be the Son of Poseidon. Nevertheless, good choice, daughter. But, stop going off topic. The dress I chose..."

* * *

><p><strong>With Hephaestus<strong>

Hephaestus and Leo were building a 'motorized cafe table' that was mentioned in the first chapter.

"I'm done!"

"Okay, son. Now you have to decide what you want it to do."

"Produce food?"

"Attach the equipment." Then the god muttered, "Let me try multitasking."

* * *

><p><strong>With Ares <strong>

The first ten minutes was a friendly game. Now it's eleven minutes in the 30- minute break.

Ares was screaming at his son.

Now, let's do some recap. A few minutes ago, Ares was urging Frank to be faster. Then when the war god was beaten, Ares was yelling at his son.

"YOU AREN'T SUPPOSED TO SHAPESHIFT!"... okay, now, this is boring. Let's do some time skip.


	5. The satyr reveals himself

**Also, I know this is overused. If you have already read my other story, don't worry, I will update both every week. **

Disclaimer: If I owned Percy Jackson, why would I be typing this up? All rights go to Mr. Rick Riordan

* * *

><p><strong>GROVER UNEXPECTEDLY LOSES HIS PANTS <strong>The goddess of wisdom and war read after everyone gathered once again in the throne room.

"Huh?" Apollo stared at her. "Did I hear correctly?"

"Yes," Athena said, a bit irritated. "I think this is where he reveals his true identity."

**Confession time: I ditched Grover as soon as we got to the bus terminal.**

"That's rude," Hera huffed.

"Ha! Pay up, brother!"

Hercules grumbled while he fished out ten drachmas.

The demigods who have a problem with him were beaming.

**I know, I know. It was rude.**

"At least he realizes it," Hestia told Hera.

**But Grover was freaking me out, looking at me like I was a dead man, muttering "Why does this always happen?" and "Why does it always have to he sixth grade?"  
><strong>

"Okay, perhaps that's the reason," Artemis said. "Although it's no way to treat a friend like that.

"Ugh, how many times do I have to say, my decision? I thought those were two clear words!"

**Whenever he got upset, Grover's bladder acted up, so I wasn't surprised when, as soon as we got off the bus, he made me promise to wait for him, then made a beeline for the restroom. Instead of waiting, I got my suitcase, slipped outside, and caught the first taxi uptown.**

"Pft!"

"He just went to make a call, Perce."

"Wow, Kelp Head."

"Wow, Aqua Man. I over estimated you."

"HEY, I was twelve!"

**"East One-hundred-and-fourth and First, " I told the driver. **

"Old address," Percy said before anyone else could open their mouth.

** A word about my mother, before you meet her. **

"Awesome," Nico said.

"Nice," Hazel said.

"Wonderful," Frank commented.

"Makes awesome food," Thalia continued.

"Best," Annabeth supplied.

"Beyond best," Piper said.

This made the goddesses a bit jealous.

** Her name is Sally Jackson and she's the best person in the world, which just proves my theory that the best people have the rottenest luck. Her own parents died in a plane crash when she was five,**

Several demigods glanced at Zeus.

**and she was raised by an uncle who didn't care much about her. She wanted to be a novelist, so she spent high school working to save enough money for a college with a good creative-writing program. Then her uncle got cancer, and she had to quit school her senior year to take care of him. After he died, she was left with no money, no family, and no diploma. **

Athena frowned. "Everyone could get a diploma..."

** The only good break she ever got was meeting my dad. **

"AAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWW!"

"Beauty Queen, you're becoming more like you mother."

"Shut up, Repair Boy."

** I don't have any memories of him, just this sort of warm glow, maybe the barest trace of his smile. My mom doesn't like to talk about him because it makes her sad. She has no pictures.**

Athena sent Aphrodite a look. "If you break my eardrums," she threatened. "I'll show you how much damage a thunderbolt could do.

"Wait. You could use thunderbolts?" asked Hercules.

"What? You can't?"

"Lucky."

"Got anything to say to me?"she snapped.

**See, they weren't married. She told me he was rich and important, and their relationship was a secret. Then one day, he set sail across the Atlantic on some important journey, and he never came back. Lost at sea, my mom told me. Not dead. Lost at sea. **

"Nice pick, uncle P." Hermes said. "Not the truth but not a lie."

**She worked odd jobs, took night classes to get her high school diploma, and raised me on her own. She never complained or got mad. Not even once. But I knew I wasn't an easy kid. **

"Understatement," the demigods from the future snorted.

"Hey, I'm easier to deal with now."

"Whatever floats your boat, Seaweed Brain."

"Humph!"

**Finally, she married Gabe Ugliano, who was nice the first thirty seconds we knew him, then showed his true colors as a world-class jerk. When I was young, I nick-named him Smelly Gabe. I'm sorry, but it's the truth. The guy reeked like moldy garlic pizza wrapped in gym shorts. **

Several goddesses looked ready to puke.

**Between the two of us, we made my mom's life pretty hard. The way Smelly Gabe treated her, the way he and I got along ... Well, when I came home is a good example. **

Everyone leaned forward.

**I walked into our little apartment, hoping my mom would be home from work. Instead, Smelly Gabe was in the living room, playing poker with his buddies. The television blared ESPN. Chips and beer cans were strewn all over the carpet. **

"So, Ares room." Athena joked. "But without beer cans."

Everyone laughed but Ares glared at her.

"I knew I should have never leave my palace door unlocked." He muttered, which only created a second crescendo of laughter.

**Hardly looking up, he said around his cigar, "So, you're home."**

The demigods from the future glared at the book.

** "Where's my mom?" "Working, " he said. "You got any cash?"**

"WHAT?!" everyone yelled.

"He asked you for cash?!" yelled Orion. "What a pig!"

"Don't insult pigs," Thalia warned. "He's worse than Gaea!"

Poseidon's face was purple with rage.

**That was it. No Welcome back. Good to see you. How has your life been the last six months?**

Athena gritted her teeth as she read.

**Gabe had put on weight. He looked like a tuskless walrus in thrift-store clothes. He had about three hairs on his head, all combed over his bald scalp, as if that made him handsome or something. **

"EVEN I CAN'T FIX THAT THING!" Aphrodite yelped.

"Well, brother," Poseidon said in an extra sweet voice. "I have a list of punishments you could use for him."

Hades held out a hand. In reply, Poseidon threw him a textbook.

"Don't worry, brother," Hades assured him. "I'll give this to my furies and make sure to pay extra attention to him." He smiled evilly.

**e managed the Electronics Mega-Mart in Queens, but he stayed home most of the time. I don't know why he hadn't been fired long before. He just kept on collecting paychecks, spending the money on cigars that made me nauseous, and on beer, of course. Always beer. Whenever I was home, he expected me to provide his gambling funds. **

Everyone glared at the book and didn't even realize that Athena stopped reading.

"Um... is there a problem, Lady Athena?" asked Perseus.

"With all of you glaring at me? I think it's a very big problem."

"Oh."

**He called that our "guy secret. " Meaning, if I told my mom, he would punch my lights out. **

"Percy," Poseidon growled. "Did he hit you?"

Said demigod looked like a deer that was caught in the spotlight.

"The book." He said finally.

Poseidon did not look satisfied but the demigods were giving puppy eyes asking to continue.

**"I don't have any cash, " I told him.**

Cue the glares again.

** He raised a greasy eyebrow. **

Aphrodite flashed out.

**Gabe could sniff out money like a bloodhound, which was surprising, since his own smell should've covered up everything else. **

Athena stared at the book.

"Mother?" Annabeth asked.

"Nothing. You have an intelligent mother that loves you dearly, Jackson. She is truly amazing."

Other than Percy and Annabeth, no one knew what she was talking about.

**"You took a taxi from the bus station, " he said. Probably paid with a twenty. Got six, seven bucks in change. Somebody expects to live under this roof, he ought to carry his own weight. Am I right, Eddie?"**

Apollo gaped at the book. "He could do math?!"

**Eddie, the super of the apartment building, looked at me with a twinge of sympathy. "Come on, Gabe, " he said. "The kid just got here."**

"At least someone there has a heart," Hephaestus mused.

"Yea, he was one of the better people."

** "Am I right?" Gabe repeated. **

Percy's siblings scowled.

**Eddie scowled into his bowl of pretzels. The other two guys passed gas in harmony. **

Demeter ran out.

**"Fine, " I said. I dug a wad of dollars out of my pocket and threw the money on the table. "I hope you lose. "**

"Done," Dionysus said, grinning.

**"Your report card came, brain boy!" he shouted after me. "I wouldn't act so snooty!"**

"Brain boy isn't the right nickname for Kelp Head. It should be Malcolm's." Thalia commented.

"Who's Malcolm?" asked Zeus.

"Son of Athena." The demigods said in unison.

** I slammed the door to my room, which really wasn't my room. During school months, it was Gabe's "study. " He didn't study anything in there except old car magazines, but he loved shoving my stuff in the closet, leaving his muddy boots on my windowsill, and doing his best to make the place smell like his nasty cologne and cigars and stale beer. I dropped my suitcase on the bed. Home sweet home. **

"Gotta love your sarcasm," Leo mused.

** Gabe's smell was almost worse than the nightmares about Mrs. Dodds, or the sound of that old fruit lady's shears snipping the yarn.**

"It can't be that bad, can it?" Theseus asked, horrified. But Percy's expression told him otherwise.

** But as soon as I thought that, my legs felt weak. I remembered Grover's look of panic-how he'd made me promise **

Several glares were directed to the Son of the Sea who threw his hands up in defeat.

**I wouldn't go home without him. A sudden chill rolled through me. I felt like someone- something-was looking for me right now, maybe pounding its way up the stairs, growing long, horrible talons. **

The tension in the room increased by a tenfold.

**Then I heard my mom's voice. "Percy?"**

Poseidon smiled despite the fact that they had never met.

**She opened the bedroom door, and my fears melted.**

The goddesses cooed again, daring anyone to go against them. Of course, no one was stupid enough, except maybe Hercules who got bruised up so much, he was suddenly unconscious. When Apollo was going to heal him, a shoe hit his face.

"If you try, Apollo," Aphrodite said calmly, like she had never flashed out before.

** My mother can make me feel good just by walking into the room. Her eyes sparkle and change color in the light. Her smile is as warm as a quilt. She's got a few gray streaks mixed in with her long brown hair, but I never think of her as old. When she looks at me, it's like she's seeing all the good things about me, none of the bad. I've never heard her raise her voice or say an unkind word to anyone, not even me or Gabe. **

"Very patient," muttered Ares. "I would have already busted some heads."

"That's you," Hephaestus said. "Being soft?"

**"Oh, Percy. " She hugged me tight. "I can't believe it. You've grown since Christmas!"**

"What is Christmas?"

"You'll see," was the only reply.

**Her red-white-and-blue Sweet on America uniform smelled like the best things in the world: chocolate, licorice, and all the other stuff she sold at the candy shop in Grand Central. She'd brought me a huge bag of "free samples," the way she always did when I came home.**

Apollo and Hermes started drooling.

**We sat together on the edge of the bed. While I attacked the blueberry sour strings, she ran her hand through my hair and demanded to know everything I hadn't put in my letters. She didn't mention anything about my getting expelled. She didn't seem to care about that. But was I okay? Was her little boy doing all right?**

"A good mother," Hephaestus muttered before glaring at Hera. "Unlike you."

Hera looked down.

**I told her she was smothering me, and to lay off and all that, but secretly, I was really, really glad to see her. **

Cue the head shakes of disapproval.

**From the other room, Gabe yelled, "Hey, Sally-how about some bean dip, huh?"**

"HOW DARE THAT THING RUIN MOTHER-SON BONDING TIME?!" Three guesses. Ding ding ding! We got a winner! Hera!

**I gritted my teeth. **

And so did everyone else present (except Hercules who was still out cold).

**My mom is the nicest lady in the world. She should've been married to a millionaire, not to some jerk like Gabe. **

"Or a god," Aphrodite joked.

Jason frowned. "I thought he is happy with Paul though."

"He is," answered Percy.

Poseidon felt a pang of jealousy. "Who's Paul?"

"Second step-father."

** For her sake, I tried to sound upbeat about my last days at Yancy Academy. I told her I wasn't too down about the expulsion. I'd lasted almost the whole year this time. I'd made some new friends. I'd done pretty well in Latin. And honestly, the fights hadn't been as bad as the headmaster said. I liked Yancy Academy. I really did.**

The future demigods' jaws dropped.

"THE WORLD IS ENDING!" yelled Nico.

"PERCY IS LIKING SCHOOL!"

"Oh stop being dramatic. Thals, that's your father's job. Neeks, she's rubbing off on you."

"Don't call me Neeks/Thals!" The two cousins shouted.

**I put such a good spin on the year, I almost convinced myself. I started choking up, thinking about Grover and Mr. Brunner. Even Nancy Bobofit suddenly didn't seem so bad. **

Athena glared at Hercules who just woke up when he tried to open his mouth.

**Until that trip to the museum ... **

**"What?" my mom asked. Her eyes tugged at my conscience, trying to pull out the secrets. "Did something scare you?"**

**"No, Mom. "**

**I felt bad lying. I wanted to tell her about Mrs. Dodds and the three old ladies with the yarn, but I thought it would sound stupid. **

**She pursed her lips. She knew I was holding back, but she didn't push me. **

**"I have a surprise for you, " she said. "We're going to the beach. "**

The wisdom goddess read on quickly as the sea people smiled.

**My eyes widened. "Montauk?"**

"What is Montauk?" Zeus asked.

Athena groaned. "It's probably the name of the beach. Common sense, father. If you interrupt again, I won't mind it if you read."

**"Three nights-same cabin. "**

"When?"

**She smiled. "As soon as I get changed. "**

I couldn't believe it. My mom and I hadn't been to Montauk the last two summers, because Gabe said there wasn't enough money.

There were many growls.

**Gabe appeared in the doorway and growled, "Bean dip, Sally? Didn't you hear me?"**

All of a sudden, the future demigods were glowing, their auras getting brighter and brighter.

"Enough." Their parents said.

They rolled their eyes but calmed down.

** I wanted to punch him, but I met my mom's eyes and I understood she was offering me a deal: be nice to Gabe for a little while. Just until she was ready to leave for Montauk. Then we would get out of here. **

There were smiles but no one dared to open up their mouths.

**"I was on my way, honey, " she told Gabe. "We were just talking about the trip."**

"Honey?!" Athena exclaimed in disbelief. "I know this is for your safety, son of sea. But how does your mother do that?"

All she received was a shrug from Percabeth and confused looks from everyone else.

**Gabe's eyes got small. "The trip? You mean you were serious about that?"**

"Sorry to interrupt. But: No duh! Why would she mention it if she wasn't serious?"

"HeY! WHy does Arty get to interrupt?!"

"First of all, do not call me Arty, _little_ brother. Second, because I can." She emphasized on the word little.

**"I knew it, " I muttered. "He won't let us go."**

"He better," several people growled, and then closed their eyes, waiting for the punishment that never came.

** "Of course he will, " my mom said evenly. "Your stepfather is just worried about money. That's all. Besides, " she added, "Gabriel won't have to settle for bean dip. I'll make him enough seven-layer dip for the whole weekend. Guacamole. Sour cream. The works."**

"Bribery!" Apollo and Hermes exclaimed. "This woman is awesome. Good pick, Uncle P." And that is why they had ichor flowing from their face, courtesy of Athena's owls.

**Gabe softened a bit. "So this money for your trip ... It comes out of your clothes budget, right?"**

"DUCK AND COVER YOUR EARS!"

Everyone did except for Hercules. This is why he has temporary hearing problems.

"HOW DARE HE?! YOU CAN'T PUT A STOP ON CLOTHES BUDGET! THAT-"

Error. The following words cannot are offensive. Cannot be posted.

**"Yes, honey, " my mother said. **Athena continued when Aphrodite actually stopped her rant.

** "And you won't take my car anywhere but there and back."**

"A good advice," Hermes said. "Destroy it even though I don't know what it is."

"Something like a chariot that is warm on the inside, has windows and has a roof over it," Annabeth explained. "a road vehicle, typically with four wheels, powered by an internal combustion engine and able to carry a small number of people."

**"We'll be very careful."**

The future demigods snorted. _Careful_ was not a word in Percy's dictionary.

**Gabe scratched his double chin. "Maybe if you hurry with that seven-layer dip ... And maybe if the kid apologizes for interrupting my poker game."**

"He paid for it!" The goddesses explained.

**Maybe if I kick you in your soft spot, I thought. And make you sing soprano for a week. **

"DO IT!" Ares yelled.

**But my mom's eyes warned me not to make him mad. **

"Aw, boring old ladies."

"HERCULES, RESPECT HER!"

**Why did she put up with this guy? I wanted to scream. Why did she care what he thought?**

"For your own safety, Seaweed Brain."

"I know now."

"Am I the only one not understanding what this means?" Hermes asked.

Many shook their head: no.

**I'm sorry, " I muttered. "I'm really sorry I interrupted your incredibly important poker game. Please go back to it right now."**

"Gotta love sarcasm," Apollo muttered.

"Athena! You're supposed to read with a cheerful -" Hermes shivered.

**Gabe's eyes narrowed. His tiny brain was probably trying to detect sarcasm in my statement. **

"He has a brain?" Athena's eyes widened. "How come I didn't know that?"

"Athena doesn't know something? The world is ending!"

Artemis smacked the two gods' heads.

**Yeah, whatever, " he decided. He went back to his game.**

The gods except Hercules gaped at the book. How could someone be this stupid?!

**"Thank you, Percy, " my mom said. "Once we get to Montauk, we'll talk more about... Whatever you've forgotten to tell me, okay?"**

"FORGOTTEN?!" the future demigods except Percabeth, who were making out exclaimed.

**For a moment, I thought I saw anxiety in her eyes-the same fear I'd seen in Grover during the bus ride-as if ****my mom too felt an odd chill in the air. But then her smile returned, and I figured I must have been mistaken. She ruffled my hair and went to make Gabe his seven-layer dip.**

There were many glares.

**An hour later we were ready to leave. **

"There quicker the better," Hephaestus commented. "Good, good."

**abe took a break from his poker game long enough to watch me lug my mom's bags to the car. He kept gripping and groaning about losing her cooking-and more impor-tant, his '78 Camaro-for the whole weekend. **

"HOW COULD HE?! WIVES ARE VERY, VERY, VERY IMPORTANT. MY HUSBAND CHEATS ON ME BUT A LEAST HE LOVES ME..."

_Here we go again, _Everyone thought.

After 5 minutes, everyone got tired of her ranting. Athena decided that it would be wise to cut her off.**"Not a scratch on this car, brain boy, " he warned me as I loaded the last bag. "Not one little scratch. "**

"Knowing Percy, that car will have at least 10 scratches." Jason said, shrugging.

"Yea, HEY!"

**Like I'd be the one driving. I was twelve. But that didn't matter to Gabe. If a seagull so much as pooped on his ****paint job, he'd find a way to blame me. **

"Well, you could summon seagulls, I guess."

**Watching him lumber back toward the apartment building, I got so mad I did something I can't explain. As Gabe reached the doorway, I made the hand gesture I'd seen Grover make on the bus, a sort of warding-off-evil gesture, a clawed hand over my heart, then a shoving movement toward Gabe. The screen door slammed shut so hard it whacked him in the butt and sent him flying up the stair-case as if he'd been shot from a cannon. Maybe it was just the wind, or some freak accident with the hinges, but I didn't stay long enough to find out. **

Every demigod stared at Annabeth.

"Some help please, mom?"

"There are several causes, although the first one makes the most sense. You are a child of Poseidon so water should aid you. There should be water in the air, causing him to fly. And the second one is that he is pure evil, but that's Kronos, so not very likely.

** I****got in the Camaro and told my mom to step on it. **

"Finally!"

"Shut it and let me finish. I don't want anyone thinking that we are so lazy, we can't finish a book in a week."

**Our rental cabin was on the south shore, way out at the tip of Long Island. It was a little pastel box with faded curtains, half sunken into the dunes. There was always sand in the sheets and spiders in the cabinets, **

Annabeth only flinched slightly, her arachnophobia had decreased after the battle with Arachne and Athena was simply not scared.

**and most of the time the sea was too cold to swim in. I loved the place. We'd been going there since I was a baby. My mom had been going even longer. She never exactly said, but I knew why ****the beach was special to her. **

"Why?"

"Well, if you let me read, Hermes, then maybe you'll get the answer."

**It was the place where she'd met my dad. As we got closer to Montauk, she seemed to grow younger, years of worry and work disappearing from her face. Her eyes turned the color of the sea. We got there at sunset, opened all the cabin's windows, and went through our usual cleaning routine. We walked on the beach, fed blue corn chips to the seagulls, and munched on blue jelly beans, blue saltwater taffy, and all the other free samples my mom had brought from work. I guess I should explain the blue food.**

"That would be helpful. Blue is my color. My brother's color is green."

"Father!"

"Okay."

**See, Gabe had once told my mom there was no such thing. They had this fight, which seemed like a really small thing at the time. But ever since, my mom went out of her way to eat blue. She baked blue birthday cakes. She mixed blueberry smoothies. She bought blue-corn tortilla chips and brought home blue candy from the shop. This-along with keeping her maiden name, Jackson, rather than calling herself Mrs. Ugliano-was proof that she wasn't totally suckered by Gabe. She did have a rebellious streak, like me. **

"You don't have a rebellious streak, Perce. You have a low obedience streak."

"I really feel the love, Jace."

"Mhm."

**When it got dark, we made a fire. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Mom told me stories about when she was a kid, back before her parents died in the plane crash. She told me about the books she wanted to write someday, when she had enough money to quit the candy shop. **

Apollo and Hermes were drooling.

**Eventually, I got up the nerve to ask about what was always on my mind whenever we came to Montauk-my father. Mom's eyes went all misty. I figured she would tell me the same things she always did, but I never got tired of hearing them. **

"AWWWW.." That came from Aphrodite.

**"He was kind, Percy, " she said. "Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle, too. You have his black hair, you know, and his green eyes."**

Athena snorted. "Tall and powerful? SUre. Handsome and gentle? Not so much."

"Hey! I am handsome and gentle."

"Keep telling that to yourself, barnacle beard.

"Owl head."

"Fish face."

"Feather Brain."

"Frog Cells."

"Nerd."

"Water Weed."

"Wisegirl."

"Thanks for the compliment."

"It's not a compliment!"

"Uh-huh."

Poseidon sighed, knowing he had lost.

"Oh gods, you act like Percy and Annabeth and bicker like an old married couple," Piper sighed.

Athena had a horrified look that was funny but no one dared to laugh.

**Mom fished a blue jelly bean out of her candy bag. "I wish he could see you, Percy. He would be so proud. "  
>I wondered how she could say that. What was so great about me? A dyslexic, hyperactive boy with a D+ report card, kicked out of school for the sixth time in six years.<strong>

"I don't care about that," Poseidon said.

"I know that now."

** "How old was I?" I asked. "I mean ... When he left?" ****She watched the flames. "He was only with me for one summer, Percy. Right here at this beach. This cabin. " ****"But... He knew me as a baby. " **** "No, honey. He knew I was expecting a baby, but he never saw you. He had to leave before you were born. " **** I tried to square that with the fact that I seemed to remember ... Something about my father. A warm glow. A smile. ****I had always assumed he knew me as a baby. My mom had never said it outright, but still, I'd felt it must be true. Now, to be told that he'd never even seen me ...**

Zeus glared at his brother, who glared back at him.

**I felt angry at my father.**

Poseidon bowed his head.

"I don't feel that way anymore," Percy assured him.

The lord of seas smiled.

There was suddenly a powerful aura of jealously in the throne room.

Everyone was jealous because they want a godly parent who cared so much about them (Not Hercules though, he believes he cannot be bested by a demigod).

But Annabeth's jealousy only lasted a few seconds. After all, it was unwise and she was already her mother's favorite. And she didn't want a rocky relationship with her siblings just because Athena showed favoritism towards her. Also, she did have a nice time with her mother only moments before and she was lucky enough to even spend time on Olympus for the very first Olympian read- aloud.

**Maybe it was stupid, but I resented him for going on that ocean voyage, for not having the guts to marry my mom. He'd left us, and now we were stuck with Smelly Gabe. **

"Because of a stupid law the Queen of Gods suggested and your uncle thought was a good idea." Poseidon growled at Hera.

The said goddess flinched. She had only suggested it because she was jealous. Artemis had her hunters and Athena was twice-born so she could create children out of thoughts. Everyone knew that. She thought it was still unfair that she can't have demigod children.

**"Are you going to send me away again?" I asked her. "To another boarding school?"**

"PERSEUS JACKSON/ PERCY!" The goddesses exclaimed. It was obvious that Athena and Artemis was the one who yelled Perseus.

The future demigods looked at each other and mouthed: _Somethings never change. _Then they grinned at each other. Perseus, Theseus and Orion looked a bit shocked at the relationship the future demigods had with each other. They did NOT get along with Hercules.

**She pulled a marshmallow from the fire. "I don't know, honey. " Her voice was heavy. "I think ... I think we'll have to do something." "Because you don't want me around?" I regretted the words as soon as they were out. My mom's eyes welled with tears. She took my hand, squeezed it tight. "Oh, Percy, no. I-I have to, honey. For your own good. I have to send you away. "Her words reminded me of what Mr. Brunner had said-that it was best for me to leave Yancy. "Because I'm not normal, " I said. "You say that as if it's a bad thing, Percy. But you don't realize how important you are. I thought Yancy Academy would be far enough away. I thought you'd finally be safe. "**

"This is usually how demigods get killed," Dionysus grumbled. "Selfish mortals."

Let's just say he fainted because it's not appropriate to say a god got beat up by 9 demigods.

**"Safe from what?"**

"Angry Titans, monsters, giants, gods, and a billion more." Frank sighed into Hazel's hair.

Unfortunately, all the goddesses heard him. Good news was no god did.

**She met my eyes, and a flood of memories came back to me-all the weird, scary things that had ever happened to me, some of which I'd tried to forget. During third grade, a man in a black trench coat had stalked me on the playground. When the teachers threatened to call the police, he went away growling, but no one believed me when I told them that under his broad-brimmed hat, the man only had one eye, right in the middle of his head. Before that-a really early memory. I was in preschool, and a teacher accidentally put me down for a nap in a cot that a snake had slithered into. My mom screamed when she came to pick me up and found me playing with a limp, scaly rope I'd somehow managed to strangle to death with my meaty toddler hands. In every single school, something creepy had happened, something unsafe, and I was forced to move. I knew I should tell my mom about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds at the art museum, about my weird hallucination that I had sliced my math teacher into dust with a sword. But I couldn't make myself tell her.**

The goddess of war gave out about twenty death glares to Hercules who snorted at least ten times and fainted. The pranksters of Olympus received mock glares and although they knew she was joking they flinched.

**I had a strange feeling the news would end our trip to Montauk, and I didn't want that. "I've tried to keep you as close to me as I could, " my mom said. "They told me that was a mistake. But there's only one other option, Percy-the place your father wanted to send you. And I just... I just can't stand to do it." "My father wanted me to go to a special school?" "Not a school, " she said softly. "A summer camp. " My head was spinning. Why would my dad-who hadn't even stayed around long enough to see me born- talk to my mom about a summer camp? And if it was so important, why hadn't she ever mentioned it before?"I'm sorry, Percy, " she said, seeing the look in my eyes. "But I can't talk about it. I-I couldn't send you to that place. It might mean saying good-bye to you for good. " "For good? But if it's only a summer camp ... **

Athena sent out a glare once more but then she summoned an owl to which the gods widened their eyes at.

**She turned toward the fire, and I knew from her expression that if I asked her any more questions she would start to cry. That **** night I had a vivid dream. **

The demigods groaned.

** It was storming on the beach, and two beautiful animals, a white horse and a golden eagle, were trying to kill each other at the edge of the surf. The eagle swooped down and slashed the horse's muzzle with its huge talons. The horse reared up and kicked at the eagles wings. As they fought, the ground rumbled, and a monstrous voice chuckled somewhere beneath the earth, goading the animals to fight harder.****I ran toward them, knowing I had to stop them from killing each other, but I was running in slow motion. I knew I would be too late. I saw the eagle dive down, its beak aimed at the horse's wide eyes, and I screamed, No! ****I woke with a start. ****Outside, it really was storming, the kind of storm that cracks trees and blows down houses. There was no horse or eagle on the beach, just lightning making false daylight, and twenty-foot waves pounding the dunes like artillery.**

The gods darted glances at the big three.

Hades threw his hands up in surrender and the other two followed his lead.

**With the next thunderclap, my mom woke. She sat up, eyes wide, and said, "Hurricane." ****I knew that was crazy. Long Island never sees hurricanes this early in the summer. But the ocean seemed to have for-gotten.**

"Yea, uncle P! How could you forget?!" Three guesses who said that and got glares again.

**Over the roar of the wind, I heard a distant bellow, an angry, tortured sound that made my hair stand on end. ****Then a much closer noise, like mallets in the sand. A desperate voice-someone yelling, pounding on our cabin door. ****My mother sprang out of bed in her nightgown and threw open the lock. ****Grover stood framed in the doorway against a backdrop of pouring rain. But he wasn't... He wasn't exactly Grover.****"Searching all night, " he gasped. "What were you thinking?"****My mother looked at me in terror-not scared of Grover, but of why he'd come.**

**"**Of course she would."

**"Percy, " she said, shouting to be heard over the rain. "What happened at school? What didn't you tell me?" ****I was frozen, looking at Grover. I couldn't understand what I was seeing. ****"O Zeu kai alloi theoi!" he yelled. "It's right behind me! Didn't you tell her?"**

"Stupid dude," Hercules, who woke up once again muttered. Well, only for a few seconds.

**I was too shocked to register that he'd just cursed in Ancient Greek, and I'd understood him perfectly. I was too shocked to wonder how Grover had gotten here by himself in the middle of the night. Because Grover didn't have his pants on-and where his legs should be ... Where his legs should be ...**

"Spill it!" Ares yelled. "This book needs more action!"

**My mom looked at me sternly and talked in a tone she'd never used before: "Percy. Tell me now!" ****I stammered something about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds, and my mom stared at me, her face deathly pale in the flashes of lightning. ****She grabbed her purse, tossed me my rain jacket, and said, "Get to the car. Both of you. Go!"**

**Grover ran for the Camaro-but he wasn't running, exactly. He was trotting, shaking his shaggy hindquarters, and suddenly his story about a muscular disorder in his legs made sense to me. I understood how he could run so fast and still limp when he walked. Because where his feet should be, there were no feet. There were cloven hooves. **

"Told you," Athena said, smugly.

The god of music pouted.

"Who shall read next?" Athena asked, ignoring him.

"I'll do it," Artemis said. "Just turn every boy that interrupts into a jackalope and shoot arrows."


	6. Minotaur

**Also, I know this is overused. If you have already read my other story, don't worry, I will update both every week. **

Disclaimer: If I owned Percy Jackson, why would I be typing this up? All rights go to Mr. Rick Riordan

* * *

><p><strong>MY MOTHER TEACHES ME BULLFIGHTING <strong>Artemis began.

"Wait. Sally could bullfight?!" asked Poseidon.

The heroes of the old were in awe. A bullfighting mother? That would be neat!

"No," answered Percy, sadly. He knew exactly what this chapter was about.

**We tore through the night along dark country roads. Wind slammed against the Camaro. Rain lashed the wind-shield. I didn't know how my mom could see anything, but she kept her foot on the gas. **

**Every time there was a flash of lightning, I looked at Grover sitting next to me in the backseat and I wondered if I'd gone insane, or if he was wearing some kind of shag-carpet pants. But, no, the smell ****was one I remembered from kindergarten field trips to the petting zoo- lanolin, like from wool. The smell of a wet barnyard animal.**

There were plenty of amused snorts.

**All I could think to say was, "So, you and my mom... Know each other?"**

A new batch of face-palms were delivered.

**Graver's eyes flitted to the rear view mirror, though there were no cars behind us. "Not exactly, " he said. "I mean, we've never met in person. But she knew I was watching you. "**

**"Watching me?"**

**"Keeping tabs on you. Making sure you were okay. But I wasn't faking being your friend, " he added hastily. "I am your friend. "**

**"Urn ... What are you, exactly?"**

"A satyr?" Thalia commented, rolling his eyes. "Wow, Kelp Head. When you were twelve, you are really stupid."

"I guess. HEY!"

EVeryone laughed but Hercules was the loudest. _This is how things should be. CHildren of Zeus cannot bow down to children of Poseidon._

**"That doesn't matter right now. "**

**"It doesn't matter? From the waist down, my best friend is a donkey-"**

"He won't like that," The goddess of the hunt and the god of wine mumbled.

**Grover let out a sharp, throaty "Blaa-ha-ha!"**

**I'd heard him make that sound before, but I'd always assumed it was a nervous laugh. Now I realized it was more of an irritated bleat.**

**"Goat!" he cried.**

**"What?"**

**"I'm a goat from the waist down. "**

Jason frowned. "You just said it didn't matter."

**"You just said it didn't matter. "**

Thalia started to fake sob. "My dear little brother has caught the Percy-itis!"

"Don't worry, Thals." Nico said in his professional voice. "He may be healed."

The gods silently laughed at the scene before their eyes. They were happy; it wasn't everyday that a demigod got called to Olympus.

_Maybe, just maybe, I will accept these demigods. If they could make my family better, I'll start respecting them. Hopefully, they will teach us deities on how to be a proper family, despite how dysfunctional it is."_

**"Blaa-ha-ha! There are satyrs who would trample you underhoof for such an insult!"**

**"Whoa. Wait. Satyrs. You mean like ... Mr. Brunner's myths?"**

**"Were those old ladies at the fruit stand a myth, Percy? Was Mrs. Dodds a myth?"**

**"So you admit there was a Mrs. Dodds!"**

"Really, Perce?" Frank asked. "That's all you were thinking about?!"

"Cut me some slack! I thought I was hallucinating after all!"

**"Of course. "**

**"Then why-"**

**"The less you knew, the fewer monsters you'd attract, " Grover said, like that should be perfectly obvious. "We put Mist over the humans' eyes. We hoped you'd think the Kindly One was a hallucination. But it was no good. You started to realize who you are. "**

**"Who I-wait a minute, what do you mean?"**

**The weird bellowing noise rose up again somewhere behind us, closer than before. Whatever was chasing us was still on our trail.**

The deities frowned. Most did not understand what was going on. The three maiden goddesses caught each other's eyes. It really wasn't hard to figure out. Bullfighting? Apparently, it's fighting the Minotaur. Still, they kept their thoughts to themselves.

**"Percy, " my mom said, "there's too much to explain and not enough time. We have to get you to safety. "**

**"Safety from what? Who's after me?"**

**"Oh, nobody much, " Grover said, obviously still miffed about the donkey comment. "Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of his blood-thirstiest minions. "**

"HEY!"

"Calm down, dad. And you know it- Alecto and the two others could be said as bloodthirsty." Then, he paused for a while. "Although you and Zeus have a pretty good reason to be angry."

The two big three frowned. _What?!_

**"Grover!"**

**"Sorry, Mrs. Jackson. Could you drive faster, please?"**

**I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening, but I couldn't do it. I knew this wasn't a dream. I had no imagination. I could never dream up something this weird.**

**My mom made a hard left. We swerved onto a narrower road, racing past darkened farmhouses and wooded hills and PICK**

**YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES signs on white picket fences.**

"Strawberries?" Ares asked incredulously. "You're kidding."

"It's to help us hidden," Annabeth explained. "Mortals... well, as you just read..."

**"Where are we going?" I asked.**

**"The summer camp I told you about. " My mother's voice was tight; she was trying for my sake not to be scared. "The place your father wanted to send you. "**

**"The place you didn't want me to go. "**

Several goddesses shook their head while the remaining sighed.

**"Please, dear, " my mother begged. "This is hard enough. Try to understand. You're in danger. "**

**"Because some old ladies cut yarn. "**

**"Those weren't old ladies, " Grover said. "Those were the Fates. Do you know what it means-the fact they appeared in front of you? They only do that when you're about to ... When someone's about to die. "**

**"Whoa. You said 'you. '"**

**"No I didn't. I said 'someone. '"**

** "You meant 'you. ' As in me. "**

** "I meant you, like 'someone. ' Not you, you. "**

"Woe! Even I got confused!" Hermes exclaimed.

"Hermes," Artemis said slowly. "You are ALWAYS confused."

Hermes glared softly at her.

** "Boys!" my mom said.**

"Finally! SOmeone with common sense!" The goddess who was reading clucked her tongue.

** She pulled the wheel hard to the right, and I got a glimpse of a figure she'd swerved to avoid-a dark flutter-ing shape now lost behind us in the storm.**

"A monster?" asked Poseidon.

"Here, Kelp Head. Have a pain-reliever."

Sea glared at wisdom put accepted the pills: he did have a feeling he would be stressed until he fainted.

"Father, would you mind giving us some?"

Poseidon passes it to Theseus and Orion.

** "What was that?" I asked. **

** "We're almost there, " my mother said, ignoring my question. "Another mile. Please. Please. Please. "**

"Please. Please. Please..." Poseidon echoed.

** I didn't know where there was, but I found myself leaning forward in the car, anticipating, wanting us to arrive.**

**Outside, nothing but rain and darkness-the kind of empty countryside you get way out on the tip of Long Island. I thought about Mrs. Dodds and the moment when she'd changed into the thing with pointed teeth and leathery wings. My limbs went numb from delayed shock. She really hadn't been human. She'd meant to kill me.**

"No duh!"

"Be nice Hercules. Or I'm grounding you."

"Yes, father," the god sighed.

**Then I thought about Mr. Brunner ... And the sword he had thrown me. Before I could ask Grover about that, the hair rose on the back of my neck. There was a blinding flash, a jaw-rattling boom!, and our car exploded.**

**I remember feeling weightless, like I was being crushed, fried, and hosed down all at the same time.**

**I peeled my forehead off the back of the driver's seat and said, "Ow. "**

**"Percy!" my mom shouted.**

**"I'm okay... . "**

**I tried to shake off the daze. I wasn't dead. The car hadn't really exploded. We'd swerved into a ditch. Our driver's side doors were wedged in the mud. The roof had cracked open like an eggshell and rain was pouring in.**

** Lightning. **

"Dad/ Zeus/ Father!" Many shouted in protest.

"Father, you didn't blast hard enough," Hercules said.

"I'm sorry," Zeus informed Percy.

**That was the only explanation. We'd been blasted right off the road. Next to me in the backseat was a big motionless lump. "Grover!"**

** He was slumped over, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. I shook his furry hip, thinking, No! Even if you are half barnyard animal, you're my best friend and I don't want you to die!**

"What a good friend," Hestia commented, smiling.

** Then he groaned "Food, " and I knew there was hope.**

Everyone laughed.

**"Percy, " my mother said, "we have to ... " Her voice faltered. **

** I looked back. In a flash of lightning, through the mud-spattered rear windshield, I saw a figure lumbering toward us on the shoulder of the road. The sight of it made my skin crawl. It was a dark silhouette of a huge guy, like a football player. He seemed to be holding a blanket over his head. His top half was bulky and fuzzy. His upraised hands made it look like he had horns.**

Poseidon groaned loudly. "Why does both of my sons have to encounter that?"

"Maybe because you are the one who created it?" Hades suggested.

"Athena created Arachne and Medusa. I don't see her children encountering them," Poseidon protested. "It's so unfair."

"You are wrong," Leo said seriously, and Athena turned pale.

Annabeth smacked his head. "_Not _helping!"

**I swallowed hard. "Who is-"**

**"Percy, " my mother said, deadly serious. "Get out of the car. "**

**My mother threw herself against the driver's-side door. It was jammed shut in the mud. I tried mine. Stuck too. I looked up desperately at the hole in the roof. It might've been an exit, but the edges were sizzling and smoking.**

**"Climb out the passenger's side!" my mother told me. "Percy-you have to run. Do you see that big tree?"**

**"What?"**

"Me," Thalia mumbled sadly.

There were many looks of confusion.

**Another flash of lightning, and through the smoking hole in the roof I saw the tree she meant: a huge, White House Christmas tree-sized pine at the crest of the nearest hill.**

**"That's the property line, " my mom said. "Get over that hill and you'll see a big farmhouse down in the valley. Run and don't look back. Yell for help. Don't stop until you reach the door. "**

**"Mom, you're coming too. "**

**Her face was pale, her eyes as sad as when she looked at the ocean.**

**"No!" I shouted. "You are coming with me. Help me carry Grover. "**

**"Food!" Grover moaned, a little louder.**

There were weak chuckles, but the tension was so thick, not even a knife could cut it.

**The man with the blanket on his head kept coming toward us, making his grunting, snorting noises. As he got closer, I realized he couldn't be holding a blanket over his head, because his hands-huge meaty hands-were swinging at his sides. There was no blanket. Meaning the bulky, fuzzy mass that was too big to be his head ... Was his head. And the points that looked like horns ...**

**"He doesn't want us, " my mother told me. "He wants you. Besides, I can't cross the property line. "**

**"But..."**

**"We don't have time, Percy. Go. Please. "**

**I got mad, then-mad at my mother, at Grover the goat, at the thing with horns that was lumbering toward us slowly and deliberately like, like a bull.**

Percy looked down, guiltily at the stares he got.

Annabeth started rubbing his back.

**I climbed across Grover and pushed the door open into the rain. "We're going together. Come on, Mom. "**

**"I told you-"**

**"Mom! I am not leaving you. Help me with Grover. "**

**I didn't wait for her answer. I scrambled outside, dragging Grover from the car. He was surprisingly light, but I couldn't have carried him very far if my mom hadn't come to my aid.**

**Together, we draped Grover's arms over our shoulders and started stumbling uphill through wet waist- high grass.**

"Why doesn't anyone cut the grass?" asked Demeter.

"It all depends on the Camp director." Annabeth informed the goddess. "And maybe it helps the camp stay hidden."

**Glancing back, I got my first clear look at the monster. He was seven feet tall, easy, his arms and legs like something from the cover of Muscle Man magazine-bulging biceps and triceps and a bunch of other 'ceps, all stuffed like baseballs under vein-webbed skin.**

Athena laughed a short laugh. "'Ceps?"

"Um..." Percy shuffled uncomfortably. "Yes?"

** He wore no clothes except under-wear-I mean, bright white Fruit of the Looms-which would've looked funny, except that the top half of his body was so scary. Coarse brown hair started at about his belly button and got thicker as it reached his shoulders.**

**His neck was a mass of muscle and fur leading up to his enormous head, which had a snout as long as my arm, snotty nostrils with a gleaming brass ring, cruel black eyes, and horns-enormous black-and- white horns with points you just couldn't get from an electric sharpener.**

**I recognized the monster, all right. He had been in one of the first stories Mr. Brunner told us. But he couldn't be real.**

**I blinked the rain out of my eyes. "That's-"**

**"Pasiphae's son, " my mother said. "I wish I'd known how badly they want to kill you. "**

Athena blinked. "I don't get it."

There were many shocked faces.

"What?" asked Hermes.

"I don't get it."

"Don't get what?" Hera asked.

"How did Kelp- Head get a smart women?"

Poseidon, unsure whether it was a compliment or not said, "I have my ways."

**"But he's the Min-"**

**"Don't say his name, " she warned. "Names have power. "**

**The pine tree was still way too far-a hundred yards uphill at least.**

**I glanced behind me again.**

**The bull-man hunched over our car, looking in the win-dows-or not looking, exactly. More like snuffling, nuzzling. I wasn't sure why he bothered, since we were only about fifty feet away.**

**"Food?" Grover moaned.**

**"Shhh, " I told him. "Mom, what's he doing? Doesn't he see us?"**

**"His sight and hearing are terrible, " she said. "He goes by smell. But he'll figure out where we are soon enough. "**

"Yep, I really don't understand," Athena sighed.

"I'm too awesome to resist," Poseidon said. "So why are you not attracted to me yet?" Poseidon teases, much to the surprise of everyone.

Athena glared at him. "You are not awesome, idiot."

The god pouted.

**As if on cue, the bull-man bellowed in rage. He picked up Gabe's Camaro by the torn roof, the chassis creaking and groaning. He raised the car over his head and threw it down the road. It slammed into the wet asphalt and skidded in a shower of sparks for about half a mile before coming to a stop. The gas tank exploded.**

**Not a scratch, I remembered Gabe saying.**

**Oops.**

**"Percy, " my mom said. "When he sees us, he'll charge. Wait until the last second, then jump out of the way- directly sideways. He can't change directions very well once he's charging. Do you understand?"**

**"How do you know all this?"**

**"I've been worried about an attack for a long time. I should have expected this. I was selfish, keeping you near me. "**

"You are not selfish," Hera said. "Any mother would do that."

Athena nodded, understanding her stepmother.

**"Keeping me near you? But-"**

**Another bellow of rage, and the bull-man started tromping uphill.**

**He'd smelled us.**

**The pine tree was only a few more yards, but the hill was getting steeper and slicker, and Grover wasn't getting any lighter.**

**The bull-man closed in. Another few seconds and he'd be on top of us.**

**My mother must've been exhausted, but she shouldered Grover. "Go, Percy! Separate! Remember what I said." **

The future demigods snorted.

"Percy can't remember anything," explained Hazel, trying to be VERY polite in front of gods. SHe did not want to be incinerated by anyone of them.

"Unless Annie makes him," Thalia added.

"How come you get to call her Annie?!" Jason asked.

"Because I can."

**I didn't want to split up, but I had the feeling she was right-it was our only chance. I sprinted to the left, turned, and saw the creature bearing down on me. His black eyes glowed with hate. He reeked like rotten meat.**

**He lowered his head and charged, those razor-sharp horns aimed straight at my chest.**

**The fear in my stomach made me want to bolt, but that wouldn't work. I could never outrun this thing. So I held my ground, and at the last moment, I jumped to the side.**

**The bull-man stormed past like a freight train, then bellowed with frustration and turned, but not toward me this time, toward my mother, who was setting Grover down in the grass.**

**We'd reached the crest of the hill. Down the other side I could see a valley, just as my mother had said, and the lights of a farmhouse glowing yellow through the rain. But that was half a mile away. We'd never make it.**

"Very optimistic, Perce," said Jason, his words dripping with sarcasm.

**The bull-man grunted, pawing the ground. He kept eyeing my mother, who was now retreating slowly downhill, back toward the road, trying to lead the monster away from Grover.**

**"Run, Percy!" she told me. "I can't go any farther. Run!"**

**But I just stood there, frozen in fear, as the monster charged her. She tried to sidestep, as she'd told me to do, but the monster had learned his lesson. His hand shot out and grabbed her by the neck as she tried to get away. He lifted her as she struggled, kicking and pummeling the air.**

**"Mom!"**

Percy had a few tears in his eyes, but he knew that Sally was alive.

**She caught my eyes, managed to choke out one last word: "Go!"**

**Then, with an angry roar, the monster closed his fists around my mother's neck, and she dissolved before my eyes, melting into light, a shimmering golden form, as if she were a holographic projection. A blinding flash, and she was simply ... Gone.**

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"Poseidon sobbed.

Poseidon started bawling his eyes out.

Athena sighed and comforted his rival, surprising everyone. "Calm down, she couldn't be dead yet. She disappeared in a blinding flash."

Poseidon looked up and smile d a bit. "Why are you comforting me?"

The goddess of wisdom grunted. "Don't get used to it. Not gonna happen again."

"WHY?!" Aphrodite wailed.

"Because we are rivals," Athena rolled her eyes, putting emphasis on rivals.

**"No!"**

**Anger replaced my fear. Newfound strength burned in my limbs-the same rush of energy I'd gotten when Mrs. Dodds grew talons.**

**The bull-man bore down on Grover, who lay helpless in the grass. The monster hunched over, snuffling my best friend, as if he were about to lift Grover up and make him dissolve too.**  
><strong>I couldn't allow that.<strong>

**I stripped off my red rain jacket.**

**"Hey!" I screamed, waving the jacket, running to one side of the monster. "Hey, stupid! Ground beef!"**

**"Raaaarrrrr!" The monster turned toward me, shaking his meaty fists.**

**I had an idea-a stupid idea, but better than no idea at all. I put my back to the big pine tree and waved my red jacket in front of the bull-man, thinking I'd jump out of the way at the last moment.**

**But it didn't happen like that.**

"Of course not," Perseus groaned. He was beginning to like his cousin.

**The bull-man charged too fast, his arms out to grab me whichever way I tried to dodge.**

**Time slowed down.**

**My legs tensed. I couldn't jump sideways, so I leaped straight up, kicking off from the creature's head, using it as a springboard, turning in midair, and landing on his neck.**

**How did I do that?**

Many stared at Athena.

"Wasn't it raining? Water seems to give him energy,"

"Oh." was the only reply.

** I didn't have time to figure it out. A millisecond later, the monster's head slammed into the tree and the impact nearly knocked my teeth out.**

**The bull-man staggered around, trying to shake me. I locked my arms around his horns to keep from being thrown. Thunder and lightning were still going strong. The rain was in my eyes. The smell of rotten meat burned my nostrils.**

Aphrodite made a face. "Ew."

**The monster shook himself around and bucked like a rodeo bull. He should have just backed up into the tree and smashed me flat, but I was starting to realize that this thing had only one gear: forward.**

"Good," Athena said. "Know it's weakness."

**Meanwhile, Grover started groaning in the grass. I wanted to yell at him to shut up, but the way I was getting tossed around, if I opened my mouth I'd bite my own tongue off.**

**"Food!" Grover moaned.**

Cue weak chuckles again.

**The bull-man wheeled toward him, pawed the ground again, and got ready to charge. I thought about how he had squeezed the life out of my mother, made her disappear in a flash of light, and rage filled me like high-octane fuel. I got both hands around one horn and I pulled backward with all my might. **

"Not gonna happen, punk," Ares said and Hercules snorted.

Percy smirked.

**The monster tensed, gave a surprised grunt, then-snap!**

He was met with wide eyes.

Percy shrugged and said, "What were you saying, Ares?"

**The bull-man screamed and flung me through the air. I landed flat on my back in the grass. My head smacked against a rock. When I sat up, my vision was blurry, but I had a horn in my hands, a ragged bone weapon the size of a knife.**

**The monster charged.**

**Without thinking, I rolled to one side and came up kneeling. As the monster barreled past, I drove the broken horn straight into his side, right up under his furry rib cage.**

**The bull-man roared in agony. He flailed, clawing at his chest, then began to disintegrate-not like my mother, in a ****flash of golden light, but like crumbling sand, blown away in chunks by the wind, the same way Mrs. Dodds had burst apart.**

Perseus's eyes widened. "You killed it already? With his own horn?"

** The monster was gone. **

** The rain had stopped. The storm still rumbled, but only in the distance. I smelled like livestock and my knees were shaking. My head felt like it was splitting open.**

"You don't know how that feels like, muttered Zeus.

"That's why she's a pain in the head," Poseidon chirped.

"Which is why I enjoy giving you headaches,"

**I was weak and scared and trembling with grief I'd just seen my mother vanish. I wanted to lie down and cry, but there was Grover, needing my help, so I managed to haul him up and stagger down into the valley, toward the lights of the farm-house. I was crying, calling for my mother, but I held on to Grover-I wasn't going to let him go.**

"Aw," Demeter cooed.

**The last thing I remember is collapsing on a wooden porch, looking up at a ceiling fan circling above me, moths flying around a yellow light, and the stern faces of a familiar-looking bearded man and a pretty girl, her blond hair curled like a princess's.**

_Probably my child,_ Aphrodite thought.

Percabeth blushed, redder than a ripe tomato.

** They both looked down at me, and the girl said, "He's the one. He must be." **

"He's the one huh?" asked Thalia, back to teasing mode.

Annabeth blushed. "SHUT UP!"

** "Silence, Annabeth, " the man said. "He's still conscious. Bring him inside. "**

* * *

><p><strong>Oh, and please don't report me. I have some friends who were reported and I might as well mention that if I am reported, I will stop the story- I cannot risk losing my account because I have another story. <strong>


	7. Meet Dionysus

**Also, I know this is overused. If you have already read my other story, don't worry, I will update both every week. **

Disclaimer: If I owned Percy Jackson, why would I be typing this up? All rights go to Mr. Rick Riordan

* * *

><p>"Who wants to read now?" Artemis asked, waving the book.<p>

"I will," Perseus offered. "But please refrain from interrupting too much."

**I PLAY PINOCHLE WITH A HORSE**

"Technically, Chiron is only half a horse," Thalia told Percy.

"I know that now."

"You better," Nico said, laughing.

**I had weird dreams full of barnyard animals. Most of them wanted to kill me. The rest wanted food.**

"Grover!" the future demigods chorused.

**I must've woken up several times, but what I heard and saw made no sense, so I just passed out again. I remember lying in a soft bed, being spoon-fed something that tasted like buttered popcorn,**

"It tastes like buttered popcorn to you?" asked Annabeth. "Same here."

"This is so cute," Aphrodite wept.

**only it was pudding. The girl with curly blond hair hovered over me, smirking as she scraped drips off my chin with the spoon. **

"Wow, Annabeth." Athena teased her red daughter. "What were you doing?"

"I...I.. er..."

"It's okay. I was just teasing."

Annabeth let out a relieved sigh.

**When she saw my eyes open, she asked, "What will happen at the summer solstice?"**

The future demigods stared at Annabeth in surprise.

"To my defense," Annabeth said, hotly defending herself. "I did not think that he would be an idiot and no nothing." After a pause , she quickly added, "But that's why you are my seaweed brain."

"AWW..." Piper started.

"Beauty Queen, your Aphrodite is showing."

"Shut up, repair boy."

** I managed to croak, "What?"**

"Popular Percy Jackson answer," Thalia said, shrugging like it was nothing.

**She looked around, as if afraid someone would over-hear. "What's going on? What was stolen? We've only got a few weeks!"**

Zeus narrowed his eyes at the book. Then he flashed his master bolt to his hand, being suspicious of what is happening.

**"I'm sorry, " I mumbled, "I don't... "**

"Which is why, Annie," Thaila mimicked a professor. "You do not ask Kelp Head anything. He will most likely answer with 'I don't know.'"

"I really feel the love, guys,"

Thalia did the mature thing and stuck out her tongue.

**Somebody knocked on the door, and the girl quickly filled my mouth with pudding. **

"That's one way to shut a boy up," Artemis thought out loud.

**The next time I woke up, the girl was gone. **

Aphrodite looked at Annabeth and grinned. "Aw he misses you already!"

**A husky blond dude, like a surfer, stood in the corner of the bedroom keeping watch over me. He had blue eyes- at least a dozen of them-on his cheeks, his forehead, the backs of his hands.**

"Argus," Hera smiled.

Hermes looked everywhere but the book, whistling innocently.

**When I finally came around for good, there was nothing weird about my surroundings, except that they were nicer than I was used to. I was sitting in a deck chair on a huge porch, gazing across a meadow at green hills in the distance. The breeze smelled like strawberries. There was a blanket over my legs, a pillow behind my neck. All that was great, but my mouth felt like a scorpion had been using it for a nest. My tongue was dry and nasty and every one of my teeth hurt. **

"How do you know how that feels?" asked Jason, looking at Percy.

"Well, little brother. Kelp Head here has the weirdest comparison and the worst luck of all the demigods."

"Oh."

**On the table next to me was a tall drink. It looked like iced apple juice, with a green straw and a paper parasol stuck through a maraschino cherry.**

"You make nectar look like a tropical drink?" asked Frank.

"Not me," Annabeth, Percy, Piper, Leo, Nico and Thalia said simultaneously.

**My hand was so weak I almost dropped the glass once I got my fingers around it. "Careful, " a familiar voice said. Grover was leaning against the porch railing, looking like he hadn't slept in a week. Under one arm, he cradled a shoe box. He was wearing blue jeans, Converse hi-tops and a bright orange T-shirt that said CAMP HALF-BLOOD. Just plain old Grover, Not the goat boy.**

"Goat boy... that's good!" Nico said, smiling. "Better than your usual nicknames."

"Oh shut it, death breath." Percy sighed exasperated.

**So maybe I'd had a nightmare. Maybe my mom was okay. We were still on vacation, and we'd stopped here at this big house for some reason. And ... **

"..."

** "You saved my life, " Grover said. "I... Well, the least I could do ... I went back to the hill. I thought you might want this. "**

"Way to burst his bubble," Thalia muttered.

"Um, Thalia? He's not here."

"Your point, fire user?"

"..."

The lieutenant of Artemis smirked. "Thought so."

**Reverently, he placed the shoe box in my lap.**

**Inside was a black-and-white bull's horn, the base jagged from being broken off, the tip splattered with dried blood. It hadn't been a nightmare.**

**"The Minotaur, " I said.**

**"Urn, Percy, it isn't a good idea-"**

**"That's what they call him in the Greek myths, isn't it?" I demanded. "The Minotaur. Half man, half bull. "**

More facepalms.

**Grover shifted uncomfortably. "You've been out for two days. How much do you remember?"**

**"My mom. Is she really ... "**

**He looked down.**

And so did most of the people in the room.

**I stared across the meadow. There were groves of trees, a winding stream, acres of strawberries spread out under the blue sky. The valley was surrounded by rolling hills, and the tallest one, directly in front of us, was the one with the huge pine tree on top. Even that looked beautiful in the sunlight.**

"What is that supposed to mean?" Thalia stated, angrily.

**My mother was gone. The whole world should be black and cold. Nothing should look beautiful.**

"Oh."

**"I'm sorry, " Grover sniffled. "I'm a failure. I'm-I'm the worst satyr in the world. "**

"NO YOU'RE NOT!"

"YOU'RE THE BEST!"

"YOU FOUND ALL FIVE OF US!"

"IF IT WASN'T YOU I WOULD BE DEAD!"

"YOU STOPPED A GODDAMN WAR!"

There were many confused looks. _Did this satyr really did this much so that our children are defending him?_

** He moaned, stomping his foot so hard it came off. I mean, the Converse hi-top came off. The inside was filled with Styrofoam, except for a hoof-shaped hole. **

** "Oh, Styx!" he mumbled. **

** Thunder rolled across the clear sky.**

"Why?" Leo asked.

"The way Grover said it would be equivalent to Oh shit," Annabeth explained. "Or Zeus was just being dramatic," She shrugged, like it should be obvious.

** As he struggled to get his hoof back in the fake foot, I thought, Well, that settles it.**

**Grover was a satyr. I was ready to bet that if I shaved his curly brown hair, I'd find tiny horns on his head. But I was too miserable to care that satyrs existed, or even minotaurs. All that meant was my mom really had been squeezed into nothingness, dissolved into yellow light.**

"Nope, just taken by the lord of death.

**I was alone. An orphan. I would have to live with ... Smelly Gabe? No. That would never happen. I would live on the streets first. I would pretend I was seventeen and join the army. I'd do something.**

**Grover was still sniffling. The poor kid-poor goat, satyr, whatever-looked as if he expected to be hit.**

Dionysus frowned.

**I said, "It wasn't your fault. "**

"Of course," said Leo, pointing an accusing finger at Percy. "Because Aqua man was the one who ran away."

"Not my fault."

Everyone stared at him skeptically.

"Fine. It is my fault. Great friends I have."

**"Yes, it was. I was supposed to protect you. "**

**"Did my mother ask you to protect me?"**

**"No. But that's my job. I'm a keeper. At least... I was. "**

The gods frowned. _I don't see what this satyr did wrong... and if our children likes him..._

**"But why ... " I suddenly felt dizzy, my vision swimming.**

**"Don't strain yourself, " Grover said. "Here. " He helped me hold my glass and put the straw to my lips.**

**I recoiled at the taste,**

"Why?" Apollo asked. "Nectar tastes awesome.

** because I was expecting apple juice. It wasn't that at all. It was chocolate-chip cookies. Liquid cookies. And not just any cookies-my mom's homemade blue chocolate-chip cookies, buttery and hot, with the chips still melting. Drinking it, my whole body felt warm and good, full of energy. My grief didn't go away, but I felt as if my mom had just brushed her hand against my cheek, given me a cookie the way she used to when I was small, and told me everything was going to be okay.**

**Before I knew it, I'd drained the glass. I stared into it, sure I'd just had a warm drink, but the ice cubes hadn't even melted.**

"That's what happens if you're drinking nectar, seaweed brain."

"I was twelve!"

"I knew all of this before I turned six," Annabeth scoffed.

"Touché."

**"Was it good?" Grover asked.**

**I nodded.**

**"What did it taste like?" He sounded so wistful, I felt guilty.**

**"Sorry, " I said. "I should've let you taste. "**

"NO!" everyone shouted.

"Did you want to kill him?!"

"I thought he was your friend!"

"Boys."

**His eyes got wide. "No! That's not what I meant. I just... Wondered. "**

**"Chocolate-chip cookies, " I said. "My mom's. Homemade. "**

**He sighed. "And how do you feel?"**

**"Like I could throw Nancy Bobofit a hundred yards. "**

**"That's good, " he said. "That's good. I don't think you could risk drinking any more of that stuff"**

**"What do you mean?"**

**He took the empty glass from me gingerly, as if it were dynamite, **

"Might as well be," Leo muttered. "But it tastes too good."

**and set it back on the table. "Come on. Chiron and Mr. D are waiting. "**

**The porch wrapped all the way around the farmhouse.**

**My legs felt wobbly, trying to walk that far. Grover offered to carry the Minotaur horn, but I held on to it. I'd paid for that souvenir the hard way. I wasn't going to let it go.**

**As we came around the opposite end of the house, I caught my breath.**

"Huh?"

**We must've been on the north shore of Long Island, because on this side of the house, the valley marched all the way up to the water, which glittered about a mile in the distance. Between here and there, I simply couldn't process everything I was seeing. The landscape was dotted with buildings that looked like ancient Greek architecture-an open-air pavilion, an amphitheater, a circular arena-except that they all looked brand new, their white marble columns sparkling in the sun. In a nearby sandpit, a dozen high school-age kids and satyrs played volleyball. Canoes glided across a small lake. Kids in bright orange T-shirts like Grover's were chasing each other around a cluster of cabins nestled in the woods. Some shot targets at an archery range. Others rode horses down a wooded trail, and, unless I was hallucinating, some of their horses had wings.**

"Camp Half-Blood sounds pretty awesome," Athena mused.

"You designed some of it, mother."

"Oh."

** Down at the end of the porch, two men sat across from each other at a card table. The blond-haired girl who'd spoon-fed me popcorn-flavored pudding was leaning on the porch rail next to them.**

**The man facing me was small, but porky.**

One demigod was stifling his laughter.

**He had a red nose, **

Several demigods were stifling their laughter.

**big watery eyes, **

All the demigods suppressing laughter.

**and curly hair so black it was almost purple. He looked like those paintings of baby angels- what do you call them, hubbubs?**

Several goddesses who caught on was giggling, much to the gods' confusion.

** No, cherubs. That's it. He looked like a cherub who'd turned middle-aged in a trailer park.**

And here, all the creatures in the room save one were laughing out loud.

"Perseus Jackson, do you want to be incinerated?!"

"Um.. no?"

"HA!"... (Let's just say, ten minutes later...)

Perseus calmed down to read.

**He wore a tiger-pattern Hawaiian shirt, and he would've fit right in at one of Gabe's poker parties, except I got the feeling this guy could've out-gambled even my step-father.**

**"That's Mr. D, " Grover murmured to me. "He's the camp director. Be polite. The girl, that's Annabeth Chase. She's just a camper,**

Annabeth stopped laughing, and everyone else suddenly stopped. "JUST A CAMPER!?"

**but she's been here longer than just about anybody. And you already know Chiron... . "**

**He pointed at the guy whose back was to me.**

**First, I realized he was sitting in the wheelchair. Then I recognized the tweed jacket, the thinning brown hair, the scraggly beard.**

**"Mr. Brunner!" I cried.**

Hercules scoffed. "There's a reason why he said Chiron."

**The Latin teacher turned and smiled at me. His eyes had that mischievous glint they sometimes got in class when he pulled a pop quiz and made all the multiple choice answers B.**

"Hmm... a good strategy..." One guess and you get a drachma.

**"Ah, good, Percy, " he said. "Now we have four for pinochle. "**

**He offered me a chair to the right of Mr. D, who looked at me with bloodshot eyes and heaved a great sigh. "Oh, I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. There. Now, don't expect me to be glad to see you."**

Zeus glared at Dionysus. "I hope you do not treat the children like this in the future,"

"Yes... father," the god said, shaking a bit.

**"Uh, thanks. " I scooted a little farther away from him because, if there was one thing I had learned from living with Gabe, it was how to tell when an adult has been hitting the happy juice. If Mr. D was a stranger to alcohol,**

"God of wine?" Hercules asked, rolling his eyes.

"Shut up, we know. Bastard."

Hercules glared at Annabeth. "HEY! I don't even know you until a few hours ago. Why do you hate me so much?!"

"Third book," The Greeks said.

"Eight book," Everyone said shortly afterwards in terms of demigods.

"And you're a jerk," Percy added.

**I was a satyr.**

"You are a satyr?" Nico asked Percy.

Perseus sighed and reread the last sentence.

**"Annabeth?" Mr. Brunner called to the blond girl.**

"So after they called me Annabeth, I'm still the blond girl?"

"No, you're my wisegirl."

"AAWWWWWWWWW!"

"APHRODITE!"

**She came forward and Mr. Brunner introduced us. "This young lady nursed you back to health, Percy. Annabeth, my dear, why don't you go check on Percy's bunk? We'll be putting him in cabin eleven for now."**

Hermes frowned. Cabin 11... his number was 11.

**Annabeth said, "Sure, Chiron. "**

**She was probably my age, maybe a couple of inches taller, and a whole lot more athletic looking. With her deep tan and her curly blond hair, she was almost exactly what I thought a stereotypical California girl would look like, except her eyes ruined the image. **

Athena glared at him and so did Annabeth, who huffed and walked to her mother, sitting on her lap. **(A/N No, she won't get incinerated. The gods in the past has developed a liking to the demigods. And I don't suppose Athena would kill her own daughter.)** "What is that supposed to mean, sea spawn?!"

**They were startling gray, like storm clouds; pretty, but intimidating, too, as if she were analyzing the best way to take me down in a fight.**

"Oh." Annabeth said, but she was comfortable on her mother's lap. ince it was very rare for demigods to even hug their godly parents, she took the chance. And apparently, it looked like a good idea to the other demigods, because they decided to do the same thing,, which meant there were four really jealous Heroes of the Old.

**She glanced at the minotaur horn in my hands, then back at me. I imagined she was going to say, You killed a minotaur! or Wow, you're so awesome! or something like that.**

Thalia snorted. "Wrong person, Kelp- Head."

**Instead she said, "You drool when you sleep. "**

There was a moment of awkward silence. A few seconds later, there was a tomato-red daughter of Athena, son of Zeus and everyone else in the midst hysterical laughter. And yes, even Dionysus and Hercules.

Annabeth shot Perseus a look which immediately shut him up. "Read." she hissed. And might have kicked the shin of several demigods and gods who were about to incinerate her. But, there were several roadblocks, namely: The king of gods, goddess of war, and 8 demigods.

** Then she sprinted off down the lawn, her blond hair flying behind her. **

** "So, " I said, anxious to change the subject. "You, uh, work here, Mr. Brunner?"**

Cue face palms. "Really? Still Brunner?"

**"Not Mr. Brunner, " the ex-Mr. Brunner said. "I'm afraid that was a pseudonym. You may call me Chiron. "**

"Definition please? I'm the god of prophecies and even I cannot understand you all. Even Athena might have trouble."

"It's not our fault," Jason huffed, hotly defending the future heroes. "We come from a time where Athens, Sparta are in ruins. Where Troy is believed to be a legend. Where no one knows if Olympians still exist, save children of the gods and former lovers and family."

The deities' eyes widened. _Athens and Sparta in ruins?! No more sacrifices?! What happened?!_

Annabeth cleared her throat. "A fictitious name, especially one used by an author. A name to hide one's identity. Choose your pick."

**"Okay. " Totally confused, I looked at the director. "And Mr. D ... Does that stand for something?"**

**Mr. D stopped shuffling the cards. He looked at me like I'd just belched loudly. "Young man, names are powerful things. You don't just go around using them for no reason. "**

**"Oh. Right. Sorry. "**

**"I must say, Percy, " Chiron-Brunner broke in, "I'm glad to see you alive. It's been a long time since I've made a ****house call to a potential camper. I'd hate to think I've wasted my time. "**

**"House call?"**

**"My year at Yancy Academy, to instruct you. We have satyrs at most schools, of course, keeping a lookout. But Grover alerted me as soon as he met you. He sensed you were something special, so I decided to come upstate. I convinced the other Latin teacher to ... Ah, take a leave of absence. "**

The demigods snorted.

**I tried to remember the beginning of the school year. It seemed like so long ago, but I did have a fuzzy memory of there being another Latin teacher my first week at Yancy. Then, without explanation, he had disappeared and Mr. Brunner had taken the class.**

**"You came to Yancy just to teach me?" I asked.**

"Ego alert." Annabeth joked.

"Yea, Chiron. Way to boost his ego." Piper said, supporting her face.

"You guys are sooooooo nice." Percy said, sarcasm dripping from every word.

**Chiron nodded. "Honestly, I wasn't sure about you at first. We contacted your mother, let her know we were keeping an eye on you in case you were ready for Camp Half-Blood. But you still had so much to learn. Nevertheless, you made it here alive, and that's always the first test. "**

**"Grover, " Mr. D said impatiently, "are you playing or not?"**

**"Yes, sir!" Grover trembled as he took the fourth chair, though I didn't know why he should be so afraid of a pudgy little man in a tiger-print Hawaiian shirt.**

The goddesses chuckled while the gods just laughed in Dionysus's face.

"SHUT it, Hercules." Dionysus snapped.

Hercules paled. _What did I do wrong? Now a god of the Olympian Council is against me... _

**"You do know how to play pinochle?" Mr. D eyed me suspiciously.**

**"I'm afraid not, " I said.**

**"I'm afraid not, sir, " he said.**

**"Sir, " I repeated. I was liking the camp director less and less.**

"The feeling's mutual, Perry."

**"Well, " he told me, "it is, along with gladiator fighting and Pac-Man, one of the greatest games ever invented by humans. I would expect all civilized young men to know the rules."**

Athena arched a perfect brow. "Well, _I _would expect civilized men to not cheat on their wives."

"ARe you implying that I'm not civilized, daughter?"

Athena grinned cheekily. "You are not a young man. You're an _old_ god."

**"I'm sure the boy can learn, " Chiron said.**

**"Please, " I said, "what is this place? What am I doing here? Mr. Brun-Chiron-why would you go to Yancy Academy just to teach me?"**

"Ego Alert. Ego alert." Apollo said in a robotic voice, in which everyone except Annabeth bursted out laughing. The demigoddess buried her face in her mother's robes.

**Mr. D snorted. "I asked the same question. "**

Apollo looked horrified. "PLEASE don't tell me I thought like D."

**The camp director dealt the cards. Grover flinched every time one landed in his pile.**

"Good." Dionysus smiled smugly.

"My son's servers. You better treat them properly."

"Of course, Herm. Pan is my best friend, remember?"

**Chiron smiled at me sympathetically, the way he used to in Latin class, as if to let me know that no matter what my average was, I was his star student. He expected me to have the right answer.**

More snorts.

**"Percy, " he said. "Did your mother tell you nothing?'**

**"She said ... " I remembered her sad eyes, looking out over the sea. "She told me she was afraid to send me here, even though my father had wanted her to. She said that once I was here, I probably couldn't leave. She wanted to keep me close to her. "**

**"Typical, " Mr. D said. "That's how they usually get killed. Young man, are you bidding or not?"**

"Dionysus," Hephaestus said, shaking his head.

"This book is boring, Ares said, yawning. More actions please!"

Percy grinned. "Well, the next chapter would be very _spectacular _ to you,"

**"What?" I asked.**

**He explained, impatiently, how you bid in pinochle, and so I did.**

**"I'm afraid there's too much to tell, " Chiron said. "I'm afraid our usual orientation film won't be sufficient."**

"That's why you were so stupid!" Annabeth exclaimed. "You didn't watch the film!"

"Well, Perce," Nico said, shaking his head. "You missed out on a lot."

**"Orientation film?" I asked.**

**"No, " Chiron decided. "Well, Percy. You know your friend Grover is a satyr. You know"-he pointed to the horn in the shoe box-"that you have killed the Minotaur. No small feat, either, lad. What you may not know is that great powers are at work in your life. Gods-the forces you call the Greek gods-are very much alive. "**

**I stared at the others around the table.**

**I waited for somebody to yell, Not! But all I got was Mr. D yelling, "Oh, a royal marriage. Trick! Trick!" He cackled as he tallied up his points.**

**"Mr. D, " Grover asked timidly, "if you're not going to eat it, could I have your Diet Coke can?"**

**"Eh? Oh, all right. "**

The demigods from the future gaped at the book.

**Grover bit a huge shard out of the empty aluminum can and chewed it mournfully.**

"Why mournful?" asked Apollo.

**"Wait, " I told Chiron. "You're telling me there's such a thing as God. "**

**"Well, now, " Chiron said. "God-capital G, God. That's a different matter altogether. We shan't deal with the metaphysical. "**

**"Metaphysical? But you were just talking about-"**

**"Ah, gods, plural, as in, great beings that control the forces of nature and human endeavors: the immortal gods of Olympus. That's a smaller matter."**

The Olympians raised an eyebrow. "SMALLER?!"

**"Smaller?"**

**"Yes, quite. The gods we discussed in Latin class. "**

**"Zeus, " I said. "Hera. Apollo. You mean them. "**

"Yay! I am awesome! I was mentioned!" Apollo did a happy dance.

Artemis rolled her eyes and reached out to hit him on the head.

**And there it was again-distant thunder on a cloudless day.**

**"Young man, " said Mr. D, "I would really be less casual about throwing those names around, if I were you."**

**But they're stories, " I said. "They're myths, to explain lightning and the seasons and stuff. They're what people believed before there was science."**

** "Science!" Mr. D scoffed. "And tell me, Perseus Jackson"-I flinched when he said my real name, which I never told anybody-"what will people think of your 'science' two thousand years from now?" Mr. D continued. "Hmm? They will ****call it primitive mumbo jumbo. That's what. Oh, I love mortals-they have absolutely no sense of perspective. They think they've come so-o-o far. And have they, Chiron? Look at this boy and tell me." **

**I wasn't liking Mr. D much, but there was something about the way he called me mortal, as if... He wasn't. It was enough to put a lump in my throat, to suggest why Grover was dutifully minding his cards, chewing his soda can, and keeping his mouth shut.**

**"Percy, " Chiron said, "you may choose to believe or not, but the fact is that immortal means immortal. Can you imagine that for a moment, never dying? Never fading? Existing, just as you are, for all time?"**

**I was about to answer, off the top of my head, that it sounded like a pretty good deal, but the tone of Chiron's voice made me hesitate.**

**"You mean, whether people believed in you or not, " I said.**

**"Exactly, " Chiron agreed. "If you were a god, how would you like being called a myth, an old story to explain lightning? What if I told you, Perseus Jackson, that some-day people would call you a myth, just created to explain how little boys can get over losing their mothers?"**

"Low blow, Chiron," Orion and Theseus muttered.

**My heart pounded. He was trying to make me angry for some reason, but I wasn't going to let him. I said, "I wouldn't like it. But I don't believe in gods. "**

**"Oh, you'd better, " Mr. D murmured. "Before one of them incinerates you."**

"Been threatened before," Percy and Annabeth shrugged like it was nothing. Athena hugged Annabeth harder. SHe did not like what she just heard.

**Grover said, "P-please, sir. He's just lost his mother. He's in shock. "**

** "A lucky thing, too, " Mr. D grumbled, playing a card. "Bad enough I'm confined to this miserable job, working with boys who don't even believe."**

"Dionysus, my son. I think we need to give you some.. ah... lessons..."

** He waved his hand and a goblet appeared on the table, as if the sunlight had bent, momentarily, and woven the air into glass. The goblet filled itself with red wine. **

** My jaw dropped, but Chiron hardly looked up.**

**"Mr. D, " he warned, "your restrictions. "**

**Mr. D looked at the wine and feigned surprise.**

**"Dear me. " He looked at the sky and yelled, "Old habits! Sorry!"**

Zeus glared once more.

**More thunder.**

**Mr. D waved his hand again, and the wineglass changed into a fresh can of Diet Coke. He sighed unhappily, popped the top of the soda, and went back to his card game.**

**Chiron winked at me. "Mr. D offended his father a while back, took a fancy to a wood nymph who had been declared off-limits."**

Poseidon coughed.

Athena smirked. "Coming from the god who has slept with more women than I can count."

**"A wood nymph, " I repeated, still staring at the Diet Coke can like it was from outer space.**

**"Yes, " Mr. D confessed. "Father loves to punish me. The first time, Prohibition. Ghastly! Absolutely horrid ten years! The second time-well, she really was pretty, and I couldn't stay away-the second time, he sent me here. Half-Blood Hill. Summer camp for brats like you. 'Be a better influence, ' he told me. 'Work with youths rather than tearing them down. ' Ha. ' Absolutely unfair. "**

**Mr. D sounded about six years old, like a pouting little kid.**

Zeus sighed and muttered, "Might as well be one."

**"And ... " I stammered, "your father is ... "**

**"Di immortales, Chiron, " Mr. D said. "I thought you taught this boy the basics. My father is Zeus, of course. "**

**I ran through D names from Greek mythology. Wine. The skin of a tiger. The satyrs that all seemed to work here. The way Grover cringed, as if Mr. D were his master.**

**"You're Dionysus, " I said. "The god of wine. "**

**Mr. D rolled his eyes. "What do they say, these days, Grover? Do the children say, 'Well, duh!'?"**

"Actually, we say No-"

"Language, Thals."

**"Y-yes, Mr. D. "**

**"Then, well, duh! Percy Jackson. Did you think I was Aphrodite, perhaps?"**

Aphrodite scoffed. "You wish, Dio."

**"You're a god. "**

**"Yes, child. "**

**"A god. You. "**

"Don't worry, we had the same reactions several days ago," the children of Zeus who were gods their whole life winked.

**He turned to look at me straight on, and I saw a kind of purplish fire in his eyes, a hint that this whiny, plump little man was only showing me the tiniest bit of his true nature. I saw visions of grape vines choking unbelievers to death, drunken warriors insane with battle lust, sailors screaming as their hands turned to flippers, their faces elongating into dolphin snouts. I knew that if I pushed him, Mr. D would show me worse things. He would plant a disease in my brain that would leave me wearing a strait-jacket in a rubber room for the rest of my life.**

"He could try..." Poseidon growled.

**"Would you like to test me, child?" he said quietly.**

**"No. No, sir."**

"YOU SHOWED RESPECT TO SOMEONE BESIDES YOUR FATHER, ATHENA, HESTIA, ARTEMIS, AND CHIRON! WOW!"

**The fire died a little. He turned back to his card game. "I believe I win. "**

**"Not quite, Mr. D, " Chiron said. He set down a straight, tallied the points, and said, "The game goes to me. "**

**I thought Mr. D was going to vaporize Chiron right out of his wheelchair, but he just sighed through his nose, as if he were used to being beaten by the Latin teacher. **

Dionysus frowned.

**He got up, and Grover rose, too.**

**"I'm tired, " Mr. D said. "I believe I'll take a nap before the sing-along tonight. But first, Grover, we need to talk, again, about your less-than-perfect performance on this assignment."**

"Now, brother." Athena said calmly, her chin resting on her daughter's hair while the latter played with her mother's curls. "I honestly do not see why it's 'less-than-perfect'."

**Grover's face beaded with sweat. "Y-yes, sir. "**

**Mr. D turned to me. "Cabin eleven, Percy Jackson. And mind your manners. "**

**He swept into the farmhouse, Grover following miserably. **

**"Will Grover be okay?" I asked Chiron. **

** Chiron nodded, though he looked a bit troubled. "Old Dionysus isn't really mad. He just hates his job. He's been ... Ah, grounded, I guess you would say, and he can't stand waiting another century before he's allowed to go back to Olympus."**

Ares smiled smugly.

** "Mount Olympus, " I said. "You're telling me there really is a palace there?"**

"No duh?" asked Hermes.

** "Well now, there's Mount Olympus in Greece. And then there's the home of the gods, the convergence point of their powers, which did indeed used to be on Mount Olympus. It's still called Mount Olympus, out of respect to the old ways, but the palace moves, Percy, just as the gods do. "**

** "You mean the Greek gods are here? Like ... In America?"**

**"Well, certainly. The gods move with the heart of the West. "**

**"The what?"**

**"Come now, Percy. What you call 'Western civilization. ' Do you think it's just an abstract concept? No, it's a living force. A collective consciousness that has burned bright for thousands of years. The gods are part of it. You might even say they are the source of it, or at least, they are tied so tightly to it that they couldn't possibly fade, not unless all of Western civilization were obliterated. The fire started in Greece. Then, as you well know-or as I hope you know, since you passed my course-the heart of the fire moved to Rome, and so did the gods. Oh, different names, perhaps-Jupiter for Zeus, Venus for Aphrodite, and so on-but the same forces, the same gods. "**

**"And then they died."**

"Perseus Jackson, look at me." Artemis stared at him in the eye. "Do I look dead?"

"Um... no?"

"That sounds like a question," Aphrodite glared too. "DO we look dead?!"

"I mean... NO!"

**"Died? No. Did the West die? The gods simply moved, to Germany, to France, to Spain, for a while. Wherever the flame was brightest, the gods were there. They spent several centuries in England. All you need to do is look at the architecture. People do not forget the gods. Every place they've ruled, for the last three thousand **

**years, you can see them in paintings, in statues, on the most important buildings. And yes, Percy, of course they are now in your United States. Look at your symbol, the eagle of Zeus. Look at the statue of Prometheus in Rockefeller Center, the Greek facades of your government buildings in Washington. I defy you to find any American city where the Olympians are not prominently displayed in multiple places. Like it or not-and believe me, plenty of people weren't very fond of Rome, either- America is now the heart of the flame. It is the great power of the West. And so Olympus is here. And we are here. "**

** It was all too much, especially the fact that I seemed to be included in Chiron's we, as if I were part of some club.**

"Technically, we are," Annabeth mused, pausing to look at Percy. "Although I do enjoy your stupidity sometimes."

** "Who are you, Chiron? Who ... Who am I?"**

"You're Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, re-"

"NICO!"

** Chiron smiled. He shifted his weight as if he were going to get up out of his wheelchair, but I knew that was impossible. He was paralyzed from the waist down. **

** "Who are you?" he mused. "Well, that's the question we all want answered, isn't it? But for now, we should get you a bunk in cabin eleven. There will be new friends to meet. And plenty of time for lessons tomorrow. Besides, there will be s'mores at the campfire tonight, and I simply adore chocolate. "**

"Understatement!" the demigods choroused.

**And then he did rise from his wheelchair. But there was something odd about the way he did it. His blanket fell away from his legs, but the legs didn't move. His waist kept getting longer, rising above his belt. At first, I thought he was wearing very long, white velvet underwear, but as he kept rising out of the chair, taller than any man, I realized that the velvet underwear **

Everyone laughed.

**wasn't underwear; it was the front of an animal, muscle and sinew under coarse white fur. And the wheelchair wasn't a chair. It was some kind of container, an enormous box on wheels, and it must've been magic, because there's no way it could've held all of him. A leg came out, long and knobby-kneed, with a huge polished hoof. Then another front leg, then hindquarters, and then the box was empty, nothing but a metal shell with a couple of fake human legs attached.**

**I stared at the horse who had just sprung from the wheelchair: a huge white stallion. But where its neck should be was the upper body of my Latin teacher, smoothly grafted to the horse's trunk.**

**"What a relief, " the centaur said. "I'd been cooped up in there so long, my fetlocks had fallen asleep. Now, come, Percy Jackson. Let's meet the other campers. "**

* * *

><p>Whew! This is one long chapter. Questions or comments?<p> 


	8. I am the God of the Toilet!

**Also, I know this is overused. If you have already read my other story, don't worry, I will update both every week. **

Disclaimer: Let me give you some facts about myself. One, I am a girl. Last time I checked, a man owned the series. Two, I am only 13. 13, _not_ an adult. Meaning I have no ADHD and Dyslexic children. Three, what gave you the idea that I live in Texas?!

* * *

><p>"Who wants to read now?" Perseus said, slowly.<p>

"Pass the book, here, punk!" Ares demanded. "And you, little puny demigod, better not lie when you said there would be actions!"

The futures chucked or giggled. "You will absolutely _love it_!"

**I BECOME SUPREME LORD ****OF THE BATHROOM**

"Huh?" Apollo stared at it. "Lord of Bathroom?"

The future ones were too busy laughing to answer him.

**Once I got over the fact that my Latin teacher was a horse, we had a nice tour, though I was careful not to walk behind him. I'd done pooper-scooper patrol in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade a few times, and, I'm sorry, I did not trust Chiron's back end the way I trusted his front. **

Everyone laughed.

**We passed the volleyball pit. Several of the campers nudged each other. One pointed to the minotaur horn I was carrying. Another said, "That's him."**

"I believe that was Travis," said Percy thoughtfully.

"Because it is," Annabeth said, rolling her eyes. "And is it just me or do you sound thoughtful?"

There were hoots of agreement from the future demigods.

"Hey! I could be smart!"

"Keep on telling yourself that, Aqua Man." Nico twirled his skull ring around and around.

**Most of the campers were older than me.**

Suddenly, there was a wave of sadness rolling off the future demigods. Most of these would turn or die. The lucky ones who survived...

** Their satyr friends were bigger than Grover, all of them trotting around in orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirts, with nothing else to cover their bare shaggy hindquarters.**

"Seaweed Brain... why in Hades are you thinking of that?"

"Um... ADHD?"

** I wasn't normally shy, but the way they stared at me made me uncomfortable. I felt like they were expecting me to do a flip or something.**

"If you did," Thalia said. "They would probably think that you are a show-off."

**I looked back at the farmhouse. It was a lot bigger than I'd realized-four stories tall, sky blue with white trim, like an upscale seaside resort. I was checking out the brass eagle weather vane on top when omething caught my eye, a shadow in the uppermost window of the attic gable. Something had moved the curtain, just for a second, and I got the distinct impression I was being watched. **

**"What's up there?" I asked Chiron.**

**He looked where I was pointing, and his smile faded. "Just the attic. "**

**"Somebody lives there?"**

**"No, " he said with finality. "Not a single living thing."**

"That's not a lie," Nico said, approving.

**I got the feeling he was being truthful. But I was also sure something had moved that curtain.**

"Something did," Annabeth said, twirling her gray streak.

**"Come along, Percy, " Chiron said, his lighthearted tone now a little forced. "Lots to see."**

**We walked through the strawberry fields, where campers were picking bushels of berries while a satyr played a tune on a reed pipe. C****hiron told me the camp grew a nice crop for export to New York restaurants and Mount Olympus. "It pays our expenses, " he explained. "And the strawberries take almost no effort."**

"Why aren't we paying the money?" Athena asked.

"Just because we are the children of the gods doesn't mean we are spoiled brats," Jason replied, looking pointedly at Hercules.

"And we are not lazy," Annabeth continued. "We have to find our own ways to do things. Plus, we hardly see anyone you at all." She suddenly sounded bitter. "Demigods who even see there godly parents once- even in... bad situations are considered lucky."

"Katie does most of it," Hazel said, smiling, attempting to cheer up the mood.

Piper smirked. "And I believe Travis spends a lot iof time there."

"Because of Katie?" Percy said, confused.

**He said Mr. D had this effect on fruit-bearing plants: they just went crazy when he was around. It worked best with wine grapes, but Mr. D was restricted from growing those, so they grew strawberries instead.**

"Even if you are on restriction," Zeus said, slowly adjusting the two demigods on his lap. "You could still grow wine grapes."

Athena frowned. "But if he grows those, wouldn't it be too much for him?"

Dionysus started drinking a lot of wine. He did _not _not want to lose his privilege.

**I watched the satyr playing his pipe. His music was causing lines of bugs to leave the strawberry patch in every direction, like refugees fleeing a fire. I wondered if Grover could work that kind of magic with music.**

Nico snorted. "At that time? No."

Hercules beamed at him.

But Nico did not like that. "A few years later? Absolutely."

The smile faded.

** I wondered if he was still inside the farmhouse, getting chewed out by Mr. D.**

"knowing him, probably," said Leo, ducking. It was not to say bad things to a god sitting in the same room as you.

**"Grover won't get in too much trouble, will he?" I asked Chiron. "I mean ... He was a good protector. Really."**

"Of course!"

Just then, there was a bright flash. When the smoke faded, there stood Grover.

"Hey, Goat man/ G-man/ Grover!"

Grover blinked. "Olympus? Why am I here and..."

"To read books. These three," Annabeth pointed to Theseus, Perseus, and Orion. "Are the Heroes of the Old. That jerk over there is a god now."

Grover nodded in understanding. "And you guys won't be incinerated?"

Thalia grinned. "Nope! We've been sitting like this for a long time already!"

Artemis coughed. "So... introductions?"

Grover bowed. "Grover Underwood-"

"No spoiling, G-man!"

"They don't know yet?"

"No. Sit," Piper pointed to a couch, putting a bit of charmspeak into her voice.

**Chiron sighed. He shed his tweed jacket and draped it over his horses back like a saddle. "Grover has big dreams, Percy. Perhaps bigger than are reasonable. To reach his goal, he must first demonstrate great courage by succeeding as a keeper, finding a new camper and bringing him safely to Half-Blood Hill."**

Frank smiled at Grover from the arm of Ares's throne. "And you did it more than once."

**"But he did that!"**

**"I might agree with you, " Chiron said. "But it is not my place to judge. Dionysus and the Council of Cloven Elders must decide. I'm afraid they might not see this assignment as a success. After all, Grover lost you in New York. Then there's the unfortunate ... Ah ... Fate of your mother. And the fact that Grover was unconscious when you dragged him over the property line. The council might question whether this shows any courage on Grover's part."**

"Sorry, G-man."

"It's okay. I got a pretty good deal afterwards anyways."

"True."

"And who cares about those old fat goats?" Thalia asked."They are too annoying."

The future heroes laughed.

**I wanted to protest. None of what happened was Grover's fault. I also felt really, really guilty. If I hadn't given Grover the slip at the bus station, he might not have gotten in trouble.**

**"He'll get a second chance, won't he?"**

Grover winced visibiliy.

**Chiron winced. "I'm afraid that was Grover's second chance, Percy. The council was not anxious to give him another, either, after what happened the first time, five years ago. Olympus knows, I advised him to wait longer before trying again. He's still so small for his age... . "**

**"How old is he?"**

**"Oh, twenty-eight."**

"And that time you're young?" asked Leo.

Grover held up a finger.

**"What! And he's in sixth grade?"**

**"Satyrs mature half as fast as humans, Percy. Grover has been the equivalent of a middle school student for the past six years."**

"Oh."

**"That's horrible."**

**"Quite, " Chiron agreed. "At any rate, Grover is a late bloomer, even by satyr standards, and not yet very accom-plished at woodland magic. Alas, he was anxious to pursue his dream. Perhaps now he will find some other career... . "**

**"That's not fair, " I said. "What happened the first time? Was it really so bad?"**

**Chiron looked away quickly. "Let's move along, shall we?"**

"Perhps we need more people to teach him," Annabeth sighed.

**But I wasn't quite ready to let the subject drop. Something had occurred to me when Chiron talked about my mother's fate, as if he were intentionally avoiding the word death. The beginnings of an idea-a tiny, hopeful fire-started forming in my mind.**

**"Chiron, " I said. "If the gods and Olympus and all that are real ..."**

**"Yes, child?"**

**"Does that mean the Underworld is real, too?"**

"Yes, little nephew. Come to me."

"Aye! Crazy dude, you are scaring him!"

**Chiron's expression darkened.**

**"Yes, child. " He paused, as if choosing his words care-fully. "There is a place where spirits go after death. But for now ... Until we know more ... I would urge you to put that out of your mind."**

**"What do you mean, 'until we know more'?"**

**"Come, Percy. Let's see the woods."**

"Wow, Chiron, wow." sarcasm dripped on the words.

**As we got closer, I realized how huge the forest was. It took up at least a quarter of the valley, with trees so tall and thick, you could imagine nobody had been in there since the Native Americans.**

"We are there every week, Seaweed Brain."

"I didn't know back then. Why do you think I need a wisegirl?"

"AWWWW!"

**Chiron said, "The woods are stocked, if you care to try your luck, but go armed."**

**"Stocked with what?" I asked. "Armed with what?"**

"Monters, weapons." The Heroes of the New said in unison.

**"You'll see. Capture the flag is Friday night. Do you have your own sword and shield?"**

**"My own-?"**

"Why would anyone have there own weapons before they got to camp?" Demeter said, frowning.

"You'll see."

Athena turned Annabeth around. "You know how much I hate those words, right?"

Annabeth gave a cheeky grin that could melt anyone's heart. And of course, her mother could do nothing.

**"No, " Chiron said. "I don't suppose you do. I think a size five will do. I'll visit the armory later."**

"Size six," Percy commented.

**I wanted to ask what kind of summer camp had an armory, but there was too much else to think about, so the tour continued. We saw the archery range, the canoeing lake, the stables (which Chiron didn't seem to like very much), the javelin range, the sing-along amphitheater, and the arena where Chiron said they held sword and spear fights.**

"Nice," Ares grinned.

**"Sword and spear fights?" I asked.**

**"Cabin challenges and all that, " he explained. "Not lethal. Usually. Oh, yes, and there's the mess hall."  
><strong>

"Where we eat," Annabeth explained.

**Chiron pointed to an outdoor pavilion framed in white Grecian columns on a hill overlooking the sea. There were a dozen stone picnic tables. No roof. No walls.****  
><strong>

**"What do you do when it rains?" I asked.**

**Chiron looked at me as if I'd gone a little weird.**

"To be fair, it is a good question though," Theseus said.

** "We still have to eat, don't we?" I decided to drop the subject.**

"At least you're a better subject-changer than Chiron," Poseidon said.

**Finally, he showed me the cabins. There were twelve of them, nestled in the woods by the lake. They were arranged in a U, with two at the base and five in a row on either side. And they were without doubt the most bizarre collection of buildings I'd ever seen.**

The gods arched their eyebrows.

"In my defense, I have never seen buildings like that before. And you have to admit, there are a bit weird."

The futures shrugged. "Point taken."

**Except for the fact that each had a large brass number above the door (odds on the left side, evens on the right), they looked absolutely nothing alike. Number nine had smokestacks, like a tiny factory.**

"Mine," Leo said.

** Number four had tomato vines on the walls and a roof made out of real grass. Seven seemed to be made of solid gold, which gleamed so much in the sunlight it was almost impossible to look at. They all faced a commons area about the size of a soccer field, dot-ted with Greek statues, fountains, flower beds, and a couple of basketball hoops (which were more my speed).**

"You play basketball?" Leo asked.

"Yea, why?"

"You spend too much time in the water."

"Shut it, punks. I need to see more action!"

**In the center of the field was a huge stone-lined firepit. Even though it was a warm afternoon, the hearth smoldered. A girl about nine years old was tending the flames, poking the coals with a stick.**

"You saw me?" Hestia asked.

"Sorry for not talking to you," said Percy.

"It's okay. I'm just surprised that I would be somewhere else out of Olympus."

**The pair of cabins at the head of the field, numbers one and two, looked like his-and-hers mausoleums, big white marble boxes with heavy columns in front. Cabin one was the biggest and bulkiest of the twelve. **

"Ours." Thalia and Jason said.

**Its polished bronze doors shimmered like a hologram, so that from different angles lightning bolts seemed to streak across them. Cabin two was more graceful somehow, with slimmer columns garlanded with pomegranates and flowers. The walls were carved with images of peacocks.**

**"Zeus and Hera?" I guessed.**

**"Correct, " Chiron said.**

**"Their cabins look empty."**

"They should be." Hera huffed.

"Oh deal with it, woman." Annabeth snapped.

Hera looked surprised at first. "Athena, you have to watch your children more."

Athena opened her mouth to retort a comment but Annabeth beated her to it.

Annabeth glared at Hera. "Mother can't." She paused and mimicked Hera's voice. "No interfering with demigods."

And just like that, all the demigods and Grover glared at her. They knew it was one of the rulers who made the law, but no one know which one, until today. Becuase of this stupid rule, countless demigods died.

**"Several of the cabins are. That's true. No one ever stays in one or two."**

"We stay in one," Jason and Thalia said in sync.

**Okay. So each cabin had a different god, like a mascot. Twelve cabins for the twelve Olympians. But why would some be empty?**

**I stopped in front of the first cabin on the left, cabin three.**

**It wasn't high and mighty like cabin one, but long and low and solid. The outer walls were of rough gray stone studded with pieces of seashell and coral, as if the slabs had been hewn straight from the bottom of the ocean floor. I peeked inside the open doorway and Chiron said, "Oh, I wouldn't do that!"**

"Mine?" Poseidon asked. "Chiron should let you."

"Some demigods have been incinerated for entering other gods' cabins." Annabeth said.

"Oh."

**Before he could pull me back, I caught the salty scent of the interior, like the wind on the shore at Montauk. The interior walls glowed like abalone. There were six empty bunk beds with silk sheets turned down. But there was no sign anyone had ever slept there. The place felt so sad and lonely, I was glad when Chiron put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Come along, Percy. "**

**Most of the other cabins were crowded with campers.**

**Number five was bright red-a real nasty paint job, as if the color had been splashed on with buckets and fists.**

"It was..." Annabeth began and then grinned. "After the Stolls made a prank and made it pink."

To say Ares was angry was an understatement. He got up and was about to smite Annabeth. But there were just too many roadblocks. Sucks to be him.

On the other hand, the others chuckled.

** The roof was lined with barbed wire. A stuffed wild boar's head hung over the doorway, and its eyes seemed to follow me.**

"Now the owl also follows me." Percy said, shivering.

"Seaweed Brain." An exasperated voice said. "It only follows you when I am with you. That's it's duty: look after children of Athena."

"Oh."

** Inside I could see a bunch of mean-looking kids, both girls and boys, arm wrestling and arguing with each other while rock music blared. The loudest was a girl maybe thirteen or fourteen. She wore a size XXXL CAMP HALF-BLOOD T-shirt under a camouflage jacket. She zeroed in on me and gave me an evil sneer. She reminded me of Nancy Bobofit, though the camper girl was much bigger and tougher looking, and her hair was long and stringy, and brown instead of red.**

"Clarisse." Piper informed Ares. "Daughter of Ares, the head of Ares Cabin. SHe can be pretty nice. And I doubt she'd want to be compared to Nancy Bobofit."

**I kept walking, trying to stay clear of Chiron's hooves. "We haven't seen any other centaurs, " I observed.**

**"No, " said Chiron sadly. "My kinsmen**

"PARTY PONIES!" Apollo and Hermes exclaimed.

** are a wild and barbaric folk, I'm afraid. You might encounter them in the wilderness, or at major sporting events. But you won't see any here." **

**"You said your name was Chiron. Are you really ... "**

**He smiled down at me. "The Chiron from the stories? Trainer of Hercules**

Cue scowls.

**and all that? Yes, Percy, I am. "**

**"But, shouldn't you be dead?"**

"He should?" Dionysus asked. "Then who is going to play pinocle with me in the future?"

All he received were shrugs.

**Chiron paused, as if the question intrigued him. "I honestly don't know about should be. The truth is, I can't be dead. You see, eons ago the gods granted my wish. I could con-tinue the work I loved. I could be a teacher of heroes as long as humanity needed me. I gained much from that wish ... And I gave up much. But I'm still here, so I can only assume I'm still needed."**

**I thought about being a teacher for three thousand years. It wouldn't have made my Top Ten Things to Wish For list.**

"Same here," Everyone said, including Athena.

She got surprised stares.

"What?! I'll faint if I have to teach for milenia!"

**"Doesn't it ever get boring?"**

**"No, no, " he said. "Horribly depressing, at times, but never boring."**

**"Why depressing?" **This part was read quicky, inturrupting the gods. **Chiron seemed to turn hard of hearing again.**

**"Oh, look, " he said. "Annabeth is waiting for us."**

"Way to cahnge a subject, Chiron."

**The blond girl **

"I'm _still _the blond girl?"

**I'd met at the Big House was reading a book in front of the last cabin on the left, number eleven.**

**When we reached her, she looked me over critically, like she was still thinking about how much I drooled.**

"No, but it would be funny. Only considering the possibilities."

**I tried to see what she was reading, but I couldn't make out the title. I thought my dyslexia was acting up. Then I realized the title wasn't even English. The letters looked Greek to me. I mean, literally Greek. **

"What else would it be?"

"I didn't know! Cut me some slack."

**There were pictures of temples and statues and different kinds of columns, like those in an architecture book.**

Leo opened his mouth but then quickly closed it.

**"Annabeth, " Chiron said, "I have masters' archery class at noon. Would you take Percy from here?"**

**"Yes, sir. "**

**"Cabin eleven, " Chiron told me, gesturing toward the doorway. "Make yourself at home. "**

**Out of all the cabins, eleven looked the most like a regular old summer camp cabin, with the emphasis on old. The threshold was worn down, the brown paint peeling. Over the doorway was one of those doctor's symbols, a winged pole with two snakes wrapped around it. What did they call it... ? **

The deities and several demigods opened their mouths but Percy was faster and said: "The next line, please."

**A caduceus.**

**Inside, it was packed with people, both boys and girls, way more than the number of bunk beds. Sleeping bags were spread all over on the floor. It looked like a gym where the Red Cross had set up an evacuation center.**

"Why?" asked Hermes. "This sounds like my cabin."

** Chiron didn't go in. The door was too low for him. But when the campers saw him they all stood and bowed respectfully. **

** "Well, then, " Chiron said. "Good luck, Percy. I'll see you at dinner. "**

** He galloped away toward the archery range. **

** I stood in the doorway, looking at the kids. They weren't bowing anymore. They were staring at me, sizing me up. I knew this routine. I'd gone through it at enough schools. **

** "Well?" Annabeth prompted. "Go on. "**

** So naturally I tripped coming in the door and made a total fool of myself.**

"Of course," Jason sighed.

** There were some snickers from the campers, but none of them said anything.**

**Annabeth announced, "Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven."**

**"Regular or undetermined?" somebody asked.**

**I didn't know what to say, but Annabeth said, "Undetermined."**

**Everybody groaned.**

"Why? What does that mean?"

"Meaning no one knows the demigods' godly parent." Percy said in a numb voice.

That left the deities wondering what was so bad.

**A guy who was a little older than the rest came forward. "Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there."**

_'You can have that spot on the floor'?! What the Hades is going on in the future?!_

**The guy was about nineteen, and he looked pretty cool. He was tall and muscular, with short-cropped sandy hair and a friendly smile. He wore an orange tank top, cutoffs, sandals, and a leather necklace with five different-colored clay beads. The only thing unsettling about his appearance was a thick white scar that ran from just beneath his right eye to his jaw, like an old knife slash.**

Everyone frowned. Their instincts told them that something was wrong.

**"This is Luke, " Annabeth said, and her voice sounded different somehow. I glanced over and could've sworn she was blushing. **

"A love triangle!" Aphrodite squelaed.

**She saw me looking, and her expression hardened again. "He's your counselor for now. "**

**"For now?" I asked.**

**"You're undetermined, " Luke explained patiently. "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers."**

"So everyone must be uncomfortable?" The god of travelers sounded a bit upset. "Thanks a lot."

**I looked at the tiny section of floor they'd given me. I had nothing to put there to mark it as my own, no luggage, no clothes, no sleeping bag. Just the Minotaur's horn. I thought about setting that down, but then I remembered that Hermes was also the god of thieves.**

"I doubt they'd try stealing it though. They are not low enough to do so." Annabeth said.

**I looked around at the campers' faces, some sullen and suspicious, some grinning stupidly, some eyeing me as if they were waiting for a chance to pick my pockets.**

"Most likely they were."

**"How long will I be here?" I asked.**

**"Good question, " Luke said. "Until you're determined. "**

**"How long will that take?"**

**The campers all laughed.**

"It sounds like a fair question." Athena muttered.

**"Come on, " Annabeth told me. "I'll show you the volleyball court. "**

**"I've already seen it. "**

**"Come on. " She grabbed my wrist and dragged me outside. I could hear the kids of cabin eleven laughing behind me.**

"Rude." Hera glared at Hermes. "You have to-"

"Most of the campers aren't even the children of Hermes." Grover inturrupted.

Hera looked ready to incinerate him for inturrupting while the future ones looked bored like this happened every single day.

**When we were a few feet away, Annabeth said, "Jackson, you have to do better than that."**

"Oh! Last name calling, Perce!"

"Shut it, Repair Boy."

**"What?"**

**She rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath, "I can't believe I thought you were the one."**

"But, Annie, he _is _the one."

"I know, I know. Just shut up."

**"What's your problem?" I was getting angry now. "All I know is, I kill some bull guy-"**

** "Don't talk like that!" Annabeth told me. "You know how many kids at this camp wish they'd had your chance?"**

** "To get killed?"**

"He has a point, daughter. Your hubris will get you killed."

"Or save me," Annabeth grinned cheekily.

** "To fight the Minotaur! What do you think we train for?"**

"To survive." Athena said.

"Mother..." The daughter of wisdom sounded like a whining five year old. Or maybe because she had wisdom wrapped around her little finger now.

**I shook my head. "Look, if the thing I fought really was the Minotaur, the same one in the stories ... "**

**"Yes."**

**"Then there's only one."**

**"Yes."**

**"And he died, like, a gajillion **

"Not a word," Theseus said.

"It's an expression, brother."

"Well, the future has too many expressions."

**years ago, right? Theseus killed him in the labyrinth.**

"Been there," Percy, Nico, Annabeth and Grover said.

** So ..."**

**"Monsters don't die, Percy. They can be killed. But they don't die."**

"Oh thanks, that clears it up." Hercules rolled his eyes.

Athena glared at him and he withered.

**"Oh, thanks. That clears it up."**

Percy and Hercules looked horrified that they thought like each other.

"If anyone asks," Percy said. "You think like me. Not the other way around."

The future heroes and the Heroes of the Old only laughed.

**"They don't have souls, like you and me. You can dispel them for a while, maybe even for a whole lifetime if you're lucky. But they are primal forces. Chiron calls them arche-types. Eventually, they reform."**

"You couldn't just say that?" Nico asked.

"In my defense, I didn;t know he would be like that."

"Hey! Wisegirl..."

"Forgive me?"

"Hmph! You owe me one!"

Annabeth walked over, kissed him and then both went back to their original position on their parent's laps.

**I thought about Mrs. Dodds. "You mean if I killed one, accidentally, with a sword-"**

**"The Fur ... I mean, your math teacher. That's right. She's still out there. You just made her very, very mad."**

**"How did you know about Mrs. Dodds?"**

**"You talk in your sleep."**

"So you talk and drool in your sleep. Do we need to know anything else?" Perseus surpressed his laughter.

**"You almost called her something. A Fury? They're Hades' torturers, right?"**

**Annabeth glanced nervously at the ground, as if she expected it to open up and swallow her. **

"Why?" Hades asked.

"Not like it hasn't happened before." Annabeth said.

**"You shouldn't call them by name, even here. We call them the Kindly Ones, if we have to speak of them at all."**

"Yea, because they are just soooooooo kind." Percy grumbled.

**"Look, is there anything we can say without it thundering?" I sounded whiny, even to myself, but right then I didn't care. "Why do I have to stay in cabin eleven, anyway? Why is everybody so crowded together? There are plenty of empty bunks right over there."**

**I pointed to the first few cabins, and Annabeth turned pale. "You don't just choose a cabin, Percy. It depends on who your parents are. Or ... Your parent."**

**She stared at me, waiting for me to get it.**

"Still waiting." said Annabeth, shrugging and slurping a milkshake she grabbed somehwere.

"HEY! WHERE YOU GOT THAT MILKSHAKE?!" The demigods exclaimed.

"Deal with it."

The demigods groaned.

The gods who had kids' mouth twitched and summonded some desserts.

Apollo and Hermes helped themselves.

**"My mom is Sally Jackson," I said. "She works at the candy store in Grand Central Station. At least, she used to. "**

**"I'm sorry about your mom, Percy. But that's not what I mean. I'm talking about your other parent. Your dad." **

**"He's dead. I never knew him."**

"Nah, just obeying laws, sitting in my undersea palace or in the throne room, pretty much alive." Poseidon joked.

"I know. I gotta ay I'm da luckiest demigod because I go to see my godly parent within a month."

"No, I think I'm pretty lucky. Became head at age 8 and got lots of presents."

Grover rolled his eyes. "You two in godly parent terms are lucky, yes. Everything else? Not so much."

"It's not

**Annabeth sighed. Clearly, she'd had this conversation before with other kids. "Your father's not dead, Percy. "**

**"How can you say that? You know him?"**

** "No, of course not. "**

**"Then how can you say-"**

**"Because I know you. You wouldn't be here if you weren't one of us."**

**"You don't know anything about me."**

"She doesn't?" Piper arched an eyebrow. "You sure?"

**"No?" She raised an eyebrow. "I bet you moved around from school to school. I bet you were kicked out of a lot of them."**

"You are just going to embarrass him," Frank said.

**"How-"**

**"Diagnosed with dyslexia. Probably ADHD, too. "**

**I tried to swallow my embarrassment. **

"See?"

"No one doubt you, Frank."

**"What does that have to do with anything?"**

**"Taken together, it's almost a sure sign. The letters float off the page when you read, right? That's because your mind is hardwired for ancient Greek. And the ADHD-you're impulsive, can't sit still in the classroom. That's your battle-field reflexes. In a real fight, they'd keep you alive. As for the attention problems, that's because you see too much, Percy, not too little. Your senses are better than a regular mortal's. Of course the teachers want you medicated. Most of them are monsters. They don't want you seeing them for what they are."**

**"You sound like ... You went through the same thing?"**

**"Most of the kids here did. If you weren't like us, you couldn't have survived the Minotaur, much less the ambrosia and nectar. "**

**"Ambrosia and nectar."**

**"The food and drink we were giving you to make you better. That stuff would've killed a normal kid. It would've turned your blood to fire and your bones to sand and you'd be dead.**

"How would you know that?" asked Zeus.

"Obviously," said Nico. "Some idiotic dude decided that it looked like a peice from a lemon pie and decided to try some."

"Wow."

"Yea..."

** Face it. You're a half- blood. "**

**A half-blood.**

**I was reeling with so many questions I didn't know where to start.**

**Then a husky voice yelled, "Well! A newbie!"**

**I looked over. The big girl from the ugly red cabin was sauntering toward us. She had three other girls behind her, all big and ugly and mean looking like her, all wearing camo jackets.**

Ares cheered for his children.

**"Clarisse, " Annabeth sighed. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?"**

**"Sure, Miss Princess,"**

"Why princess?" asked Athena.

"You're a princess. She's your daughter," Apollo said like it was the most obvious thing.

"Well, then, would Clarisse be a princess to?" Artemis pointed out. "Ares is a prince. She's the daughter of a prince."

"Oh." Apollo said.

"Probably princess curls," Piper gestured to Annabeth's hair.

** the big girl said. "So I can run you through with it Friday night. "**

**''Erre es korakas!" Annabeth said, **

"Language."

"Sorry, mom." Though she did not look very sorry. Too proud.

**which I somehow under-stood was Greek for 'Go to the crows!' though I had a feel-ing it was a worse curse than it sounded. **

"It is." Hephaestus said.

**"You don't stand a chance. "**

**"We'll pulverize you, " Clarisse said, but her eye twitched. Perhaps she wasn't sure she could follow through on the threat. **

"Nah, she can't." Said Annabeth, smirking.

**She turned toward me. "Who's this little runt?"**

**"Percy Jackson, " Annabeth said, "meet Clarisse, Daughter of Ares. "**

**I blinked. "Like ... The war god?"**

"You got a problem with that?" Ares sneered.

**Clarisse sneered. "You got a problem with that?"**

"Runs in the family," said Hades, sighing.

**"No, " I said, recovering my wits. "It explains the bad smell."**

"OOOOOHHHHHHHHH! BURN!"

**Clarisse growled. "We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy."**

"Wow, first meeting there's name calling? Good job, Perce."

"Shut it, Sparky."

**"Percy. "**

**"Whatever. Come on, I'll show you. "**

**"Clarisse-" Annabeth tried to say.**

**"Stay out of it, wise girl."**

"OH!"

"Now what's the problem?!" Annabeth demanded.

"That is where Percy got his nick name for you?" asked Hazel.

"Apparently. He's not really creative, you know."

**Annabeth looked pained, but she did stay out of it, and I didn't really want her help. I was the new kid. I had to earn my own rep.**

"Good," Athena approved.

**I handed Annabeth my minotaur horn and got ready to fight, but before I knew it, Clarisse had me by the neck and was dragging me toward a cinder-block building that I knew immediately was the bathroom.**

**I was kicking and punching. I'd been in plenty of fights before, but this big girl Clarisse had hands like iron. She dragged me into the girls' bathroom. There was a line of toilets on one side and a line of shower stalls down the other. It smelled just like any public bathroom, and I was thinking-as much as I could think with Clarisse ripping my hair out-that if this place belonged to the gods, they should've been able to afford classier johns.**

"Why are you even thinking that?!" Nico laughed. "Not that I disagree with that last comment."

"ADHD!"

**Clarisse's friends were all laughing, and I was trying to find the strength I'd used to fight the Minotaur, but it just wasn't there.**

**"Like he's 'Big Three' material, " Clarisse said as she pushed me toward one of the toilets. "Yeah, right. Minotaur probably fell over laughing, he was so stupid looking. "**

**Her friends snickered.**

**Annabeth stood in the corner, watching through her fingers.**

"I WAS NOT!" Annabeth yelped.

"Keep telling that to yourslef, Wisegirl."

**Clarisse bent me over on my knees and started pushing my head toward the toilet bowl. It reeked like rusted pipes and, well, like what goes into toilets.**

Aphrodite made gaging sounds.

"TMI! TMI!" Leo gasped.

** I strained to keep my head up. I was looking at the scummy water, thinking,**

**I will not go into that. I won't.**

Ares stooped looking so smug. His face was replaced by a look of horror.

**Then something happened. I felt a tug in the pit of my stomach. I heard the plumbing rumble, the pipes shudder. Clarisse's grip on my hair loosened. Water shot out of the toilet, making an arc straight over my head, and the next thing I knew, I was sprawled on the bathroom tiles with Clarisse screaming behind me.**

**I turned just as water blasted out of the toilet again, hit-ting Clarisse straight in the face so hard it pushed her down onto her butt. The water stayed on her like the spray from a fire hose, pushing her backward into a shower stall.**

**She struggled, gasping, and her friends started coming toward her. But then the other toilets exploded, too, and six more streams of toilet water blasted them back. The show-ers acted up, too, and together all the fixtures sprayed the camouflage girls right out of the bathroom, spinning them around like pieces of garbage being washed away.**

By now Ares was fuming.

**As soon as they were out the door, I felt the tug in my gut lessen, and the water shut off as quickly as it had started.**

**The entire bathroom was flooded. Annabeth hadn't been spared.**

Athena growled.

"It was shower water!" Percy said, falling of Poseidon's lap, his head htting the marble floor.

"A good thing too, or else I'm _killing _you." she threatened.

** She was dripping wet, but she hadn't been pushed out the door. She was standing in exactly the same place, staring at me in shock.**

"I was so stupid." Annabeth grumbled. "I can't believe after all these clues, no one figure out that he was a son of Poseidon!"

"But none of you saw a Son of Poseidon before him." Piper said.

**I looked down and realized I was sitting in the only dry spot in the whole room. There was a circle of dry floor around me. I didn't have one drop of water on my clothes. Nothing.**

"No duh?" Hercules asked.

**I stood up, my legs shaky.**

**Annabeth said, "How did you ... "**

**"I don't know."**

**We walked to the door. Outside, Clarisse and her friends were sprawled in the mud, and a bunch of other campers had gathered around to gawk. Clarisse's hair was flattened across her face. Her camouflage jacket was sopping and she smelled like sewage. She gave me a look of absolute hatred. "You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead."**

"Heard it too many times, gods, demigods, titans, and giants alike," Percy and Annabeth said high-fiving each other across the room.

Athena and Poseidon paled and looked at each other. And everyone became alert. The two heroes had unwittingly spoiled that there were going to be titans and giants...

**I probably should have let it go, but I said, "You want to gargle with toilet water again, Clarisse? Close your mouth."**

"Nice combat." Athena said.

** Her friends had to hold her back. They dragged her toward cabin five, while the other campers made way to avoid her flailing feet.**

"How many people did it take?"

Annabeth thought for a moment. "Six demigods of war."

**"How many did it take to Annabeth stared at me. I couldn't tell whether she was just grossed out or angry at me for dousing her.**

"Both." Annabeth said, turning her head away.

**"What?" I demanded. "What are you thinking?"**

** "I'm thinking, " she said, "that I want you on my team for capture the flag."**

"And the start of the unstoppable team!" Thalia exclaimed.


	9. Burning Food

**Also, I know this is overused. If you have already read my other story, don't worry, I will update both every ****week.**

Someone said it was weird that 17 year olds are sitting on their parents laps. BUt I have to say, I don't think so. The gods are I don't know, 10 feet tall or more? Compared to them, the demigods are little kiddos.

Disclaimer: I am NOT a male!

* * *

><p>Zeus sat there, waiting and coughed a bit. The last thing they needed was the god of war attempting to kill people. Still, it wouldn't have worked anyway. By now all the demigods have climbed down from their parents laps and hid from the god of war, on the couch in plain view.<p>

Yet, not many could tell it was all an act.

"Ares! You're scaring my poor daughter!" Aphrodite shrieked. The demigods giggled. No, they were not scared. But, they loved the attention they were getting.

"Well," Ares shot back. "They have no reason to be." The God of War pointed two fingers at Annabeth and Percy, trembling with rage. "But these two," he hissed, his voice getting louder. "How DARE THAT GIRL NOT DEFEND MY CHILDREN, INSTEAD JUST STAND THERE WATHING THE DRAMA?! AND YOU, BOY, YOU DARE SPRAY MY CHILDREN WITH TOILET WATER?! HOW-"

"Ares," Athena said calmly. "They hold no blame. You, of anyone should know this. And if I am right, which I am, you are the one who wanted action." The goddess turned to Piper. "Piper, would you mind reading the following chapter?"

Piper nodded and flipped to the right page. **MY DINNER GOES UP IN SMOKE**

"Burnt offerings," Hermes muttered. "Probably." He flashed some ice cream to his grip.

**Word of the bathroom incident spread immediately. **

"Like always," Nico mused.

**Wherever I went, campers pointed at me and murmured something about toilet water. Or maybe they were just star-ing at Annabeth, who was still pretty much dripping wet. **

"By the way, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth huffed, moving away from her boyfriend. "I have still not forgiven you for that."

Percy shrugged. "Yes, you did. Or else it'll be Jackson or Perseus Jackson, not Seaweed Brain."

"Who says?" asked Leo, wiggling his eyebrows. "It could always be an insult."

** She showed me a few more places: the metal shop (where kids were forging their own swords), the arts- and-crafts room (where satyrs were sandblasting a giant marble statue of a goat-man),**

"That's PAN!" Grover protested. "The great god Pan! Not a goat-man!"

**and the climbing wall, which actually consisted of two facing walls that shook violently, dropped boulders, sprayed lava, and clashed together if you didn't get to the top fast enough. **

"I like it," Annabeth stretched her legs. "It's very creative."

"Same here," Leo said.

"That's only because you are fast enough, Wisegirl."

"And Repair Boy, you are immune to fire." Jason told the Son of Hephaestus.

**Finally we returned to the canoeing lake, where the trail led back to the cabins. **

**"I've got training to do, " Annabeth said flatly. "Dinner's at seven-thirty. Just follow your cabin to the mess hall. "**

"Oh! Rejection!" Aphrodite sighed. "I think I'm about to cry."

The deities near her moved away from her.

**"Annabeth, I'm sorry about the toilets."**

**"Whatever."**

**"It wasn't my fault."**

"But you're the one with the plumbing!" Hermes protested. "Of course it's your fault!"

"I'm speechless," Artemis whispered to Athena.

**She looked at me skeptically, and I realized it was my fault. I'd made water shoot out of the bathroom fixtures. I didn't understand how. But the toilets had responded to me. I had become one with the plumbing. **

"See?" asked Hermes.

"No one objected you, bro."

"Oh yeah, Apollo."

**"You need to talk to the Oracle, " Annabeth said. **

**"Who?"**

**"Not who. What. The Oracle. I'll ask Chiron. "**

"Why are you calling Rachel a what?" Frank asked

"This is before Rachel," Annabeth explained. "You'll see."

"I hate those words," Athena grumbled.

**I stared into the lake, wishing somebody would give me a straight answer for once.**

**I wasn't expecting anybody to be looking back at me from the bottom, so my heart skipped a beat when I noticed two teenage girls sitting cross-legged at the base of the pier, about twenty feet below. **

"Naiads?" Demeter asked.

All she received was nods.

**They wore blue jeans and shimmering green T-shirts, and their brown hair floated loose around their shoulders as minnows darted in and out. They smiled and waved as if I were a long-lost friend.**

"Technically," Poseidon thought out loud. "More like a long-lost family."

**I didn't know what else to do. I waved back. **

**"Don't encourage them, " Annabeth warned. "Naiads are terrible flirts."**

Aphrodite stared at Annabeth. "Are you jealous?"

"I don't remember. But if it happens now, I won't be."

"Why?" asked Hera.

Annabeth grinned, showing her teeth and then tilted her head to one side shrugged innocently. "Spoiler alert." She whispered.

**"Naiads, " I repeated, feeling completely overwhelmed. "That's it. I want to go home now."**

"Really?" asked Hazel. "After Minotaurs, toilets, and all of that, Naiads are the ones that made you so upset?!"

Percy shrugged. "I don't know."

"Typical," Grover shook his head.

**Annabeth frowned. "Don't you get it, Percy? You are home. This is the only safe place on earth for kids like us." **

** "You mean, mentally disturbed kids?"**

"Excuse me?!" Everyone except Annabeth (she was there), Percy, Poseidon, Hera and Artemis pratrically yelled.

"My kids are definitely _not _mentally disturbed!" Athena yelled.

"My kids are too awesome to be mentally disturbed!" Apollo yelled. A pause. "And too hot!"

"My kids are all to pretty!" Guess who said that.

** "I mean not human. Not totally human, anyway. Half-human. "**

** "Half-human and half-what?"**

** "I think you know. "**

** I didn't want to admit it, but I was afraid I did. I felt a tingling in my limbs, a sensation I sometimes felt when my mom talked about my dad. **

** "God, " I said. "Half-god."**

"No duh." Leo yawned.

** Annabeth nodded. "Your father isn't dead, Percy. He's one of the Olympians. "**

** "That's ... Crazy."**

** "Is it? What's the most common thing gods did in the old stories? They ran around falling in love with humans and having kids with them. Do you think they've changed their habits in the last few millennia?"**

"That was Zeus and Poseidon," Hades blamed his two brothers and pointed to the Heroes of the Past.

** "But those are just-" I almost said myths again. Then I remembered Chiron's warning that in two thousand years, I might be considered a myth. "But if all the kids here are half-gods-"**

**"Demigods, " Annabeth said. "That's the official term. Or half-bloods. "**

** "Then who's your dad?"**

"Kelp Head likes to poke his head in sensitive subjects," The daughter of Zeus shook her head. "Ans she won't tell you."

**Her hands tightened around the pier railing. I got the feeling I'd just trespassed on a sensitive subject.**

"You did," Nico assured him.

** "My dad is a professor at West Point, " she said. "I haven't seen him since I was very small. He teaches American history."**

"Okay, maybe a little bit," Thalia sighed and Percy stuck out his tongue.

"So that's what caught your eye?" Poseidon asked Athena.

"I guess so," But she sounded unsure.

"Guess who will be searching up on American History?" Apollo mind-messaged Hermes.

** "He's human."**

"No duh?"

** "What? You assume it has to be a male god who finds a human female attractive? How sexist is that?"**

"Very." Artemis glared at Percy.

** "Who's your mom, then?"**

** "Cabin six."**

"How would he know?" asked Hazel.

"Everyone I dealt with in the past, with him being an exception, had already known this."

** "Meaning?"**

** Annabeth straightened. "Athena. Goddess of wisdom and battle." **

"A proud daughter of wisdom and war." Hestia smiled.

**Okay, I thought. Why not?**

"Meaning?" asked Athena.

"Erm..."

"Could you continue reading, Piper?" asked Annabeth, wanting to save her boyfriend. Luckily, her mother no longer pressed on and did not turn the Sn of the Sea God into a pile of ashes.

** "And my dad?"**

**"Undetermined, " Annabeth said, "like I told you before. Nobody knows."**

** "Except my mother. She knew."**

"And I was right!" Percy cheered.

Annabeth shrugged. "I said _maybe_ not, therefore you did not win this round. Plus, how was I supposed to know that Sally was a clear sighted one?"

** "Maybe not, Percy. Gods don't always reveal their identities."**

Cue the murmurs.

**"My dad would have. He loved her."**

** Annabeth gave me a cautious look. She didn't want to burst my bubble. "Maybe you're right. Maybe he'll send a sign. That's the only way to know for sure: your father has to send you a sign claiming you as his son. Sometimes it happens."**

The deities frowned, seeing the faces of their kids.

**"You mean sometimes it doesn't?"**

"I'm hungry!" Percy whined. "It's supposed to be dinner time!"

There were hoots of agreement, so the immortals save Hercules all snapped their fingers and food appeared. Hephaetsus summoned an automan to take the book from Piper so she could eat.

Aphrodite flashed him a smile showing her gratitude.

** Annabeth ran her palm along the rail. "The gods are busy. They have a lot of kids and they don't always ... Well, sometimes they don't care about us, Percy. They ignore us."**

Cue the guilty looks.

** I thought about some of the kids I'd seen in the Hermes cabin, teenagers who looked sullen and depressed, as if they were waiting for a call that would never come. I'd known kids like that at Yancy Academy, shuffled off to boarding school by rich parents who didn't have the time to deal with them. But gods should behave better.**

"We should." The deities who had kids mummbled. "We're sorry."

"It's okay, you claim all you kids that step into the borders of camp, mom." _And therefore no children of Athena in the Hermes Cabin turned, only one who liked Luke..._

**"So I'm stuck here, " I said. "That's it? For the rest of my life?"**

"Nope." Percy grinned. "I'm FREE!"

** "It depends, " Annabeth said. "Some campers only stay the summer. If you're a child of Aphrodite or Demeter, you're probably not a real powerful force.**

"HEY!" Demeter and Aphrodite explained.

"That's not what I meant and it's not a bad thing. Their auras are not that strong, and the other demigods' scents usually covers theirs. But trust me, some are really agressive."

** The monsters might ignore you, so you can get by with a few months of summer training and live in the mortal world the rest of the year. But for some of us, it's too dangerous to leave. We're year-rounders. In the mortal world, we attract monsters. They sense us. They come to challenge us. Most of the time, they'll ignore us until we're old enough to cause trouble-about ten or eleven years old, but after that, most demigods either make their way here, or they get killed off.**

_Is it really that bad/ Poor kids/ Well, I'm glad that my hunters are okay/ We have to do something about those monsters/ NO! MY CHILDREN!/ I have to give them more weapons..._

** A few manage to survive in the outside world and become famous. Believe me, if I told you the names, you'd know them. Some don't even realize they're demigods. But very, very few are like that."**

"Only one." Grover declared.

** "So monsters can't get in here?"**

** Annabeth shook her head. "Not unless they're inten-tionally stocked in the woods or specially summoned by somebody on the inside."**

** "Why would anybody want to summon a monster?"**

** "Practice fights. Practical jokes."**

"JOKES?!" the deities exclaimed.

** "Practical jokes?"**

** "The point is, the borders are sealed to keep mortals and monsters out. From the outside, mortals look into the valley and see nothing unusual, just a strawberry farm."**

"Thanks to the mist," Jason muttered sacastically.

**"So ... You're a year-rounder?"**

"Not anymore."

** Annabeth nodded. From under the collar of her T-shirt she pulled a leather necklace with five clay beads of different colors. It was just like Luke's, except Annabeth's also had a big gold ring strung on it, like a college ring. **

** "I've been here since I was seven," she said. "Every August, on the last day of summer session, you get a bead for surviving another year. I've been here longer than most of the counselors, and they're all in college."**

"Why so young?" asked Athena.

"You'll see." Annabeth answered flatly. "It will explain."

** "Why did you come so young?"**

"If she even tells you that..." Nico trailed off.

**She twisted the ring on her necklace. "None of your business."**

"Okay." Nico said.

** "Oh." I stood there for a minute in uncomfortable silence. "So ... I could just walk out of here right now if I wanted to?"**

**"It would be suicide, but you could, with Mr. D's or Chiron's permission. But they wouldn't give permission until the end of the summer session unless ..."**

**"Unless?"**

**"You were granted a quest. But that hardly ever happens. The last time ..."**

**Her voice trailed off. I could tell from her tone that the last time hadn't gone well.**

"What happened?" asked Hephaestus.

"You'll see."

**"Back in the sick room, " I said, "when you were feeding me that stuff-"**

**"Ambrosia. "**

**"Yeah. You asked me something about the summer solstice."**

**Annabeth's shoulders tensed. "So you do know something?"**

"Annie, you expected him to know something?!"

"I didn't know!"

**"Well... No. Back at my old school, I overheard Grover and Chiron talking about it. Grover mentioned the summer solstice. He said something like we didn't have much time, because of the deadline. What did that mean?"**

** She clenched her fists. "I wish I knew. Chiron and the satyrs, they know, but they won't tell me. Something is wrong in Olympus, something pretty major. Last time I was there, everything seemed so normal."**

"How come the future demigods get to visit Olympus?!" The Heroes of the Past, including Hercules exclaimed.

The deities glanced at each other and shook theuir heads.

**"You've been to Olympus?"**

**"Some of us year-rounders-Luke and Clarisse and I and a few others-we took a field trip during winter solstice. That's when the gods have their big annual council."**

"And they get to go during a meeting?!" Perseus exclaimed.

**"But... How did you get there?"**

**"The Long Island Railroad, of course. You get off at Penn Station. Empire State Building, special elevator to the six hundredth floor. " She looked at me like she was sure I must know this already. "You are a New Yorker, right?"**

Frank frowned. "Many New Yorkers don't know about this."

"Yeah, but all the other demigods who are New Yorkers know this."

"You have a point."

"I always have a point, Grover. Always."

**"Oh, sure." As far as I knew, there were only a hundred and two floors in the Empire State Building, but I decided ****not to point that out.**

"If you did, you will sound like a fool," Jason told Percy.

"He is a fool," Thalia said carefully.

Poseidon didn't know whether to be offended or amused.

** "Right after we visited, " Annabeth continued, "the weather got weird, as if the gods had started fighting. A couple of times since, I've overheard satyrs talking. The best I can figure out is that something important was stolen. **

"WHO STOLE MY MASTERBOLT?!"

"You will get it back." Percy rolled his eyes. _Drama King. _

**And if it isn't returned by summer solstice, there's going to be trouble. When you came, I was hoping ... I mean- Athena can get along with just about anybody, except for Ares. And of course she's got the rivalry with Poseidon.**

"Look how that turned out," Piper inturrupted the automan.

** But, I mean, aside from that, I thought we could work together. I thought you might know something."**

"I know!" Annabeth yelled and Thalia quickly closed her mouth. "I know."

** I shook my head. I wished I could help her, but I felt too hungry and tired and mentally overloaded to ask any more questions. **

** "I've got to get a quest, " Annabeth muttered to herself. "I'm not too young. If they would just tell me the problem ... "**

"That Hubris... you have to get it under control."

"I can't. Though it saved me once too."

** I could smell barbecue smoke coming from somewhere nearby. Annabeth must've heard my stomach growl. She told me to go on, she'd catch me later. I left her on the pier, tracing her finger across the rail as if drawing a battle plan.**

"It is a battle plan for capture the flag."

**Back at cabin eleven, everybody was talking and horsing around, waiting for dinner. For the first time, I noticed that a lot of the campers had similar features: sharp noses, upturned eyebrows, mischievous smiles. They were the kind of kids that teachers would peg as troublemakers.**

Hermes smiled.

** Thankfully, nobody paid much attention to me as I walked over to my spot on the floor and plopped down with my minotaur horn. **

** The counselor, Luke, came over. He had the Hermes family resemblance, too. It was marred by that scar on his right cheek, but his smile was intact. **

** "Found you a sleeping bag, " he said. "And here, I stole you some toiletries from the camp store."**

** I couldn't tell if he was kidding about the stealing part.**

"Not."

** I said, "Thanks. "**

** "No prob. " Luke sat next to me, pushed his back against the wall. "Tough first day?"**

**"I don't belong here, " I said. "I don't even believe in gods."**

"HEY!"

"Now I do."

** "Yeah, " he said. "That's how we all started. Once you start believing in them? It doesn't get any easier."**

** The bitterness in his voice surprised me, because Luke seemed like a pretty easygoing guy. He looked like he could handle just about anything.**

Hermes frowned.

** "So your dad is Hermes?" I asked.**

**He pulled a switchblade out of his back pocket, and for a second I thought he was going to gut me, but he just scraped the mud off the sole of his sandal. "Yeah. Hermes. "**

** "The wing-footed messenger guy."**

"Not how I am usually described as, but yeah."

** "That's him. Messengers. Medicine. Travelers, merchants, thieves. Anybody who uses the roads. That's why you're here, enjoying cabin eleven's hospitality. Hermes isn't picky about who he sponsors."**

"Hermes! Is your son calling my son a nobody?!"

"Stop, Lord Poseidon. He.." Annabeth's voice cracked and ran out of the room. Percy followed.

The rest of the Seven stared in surprise.

"Luke will always we a sensitive subject to her..." Grover said quietly. "Let's... just continue. They will be safe."

**I figured Luke didn't mean to call me a nobody. He just had a lot on his mind.**

"A little too much," Thalia grumled. Leo, Frank, Piper, Jason, and Hazel just listened carefully. They did not know anything about this.

** "You ever meet your dad?" I asked. **

** "Once."**

** I waited, thinking that if he wanted to tell me, he'd tell me. Apparently, he didn't. I wondered if the story had any-thing to do with how he got his scar.**

Hermes widened his eyes. "I hope I-"

"It's not you," Grover assured the god.

"The quest that went wrong?" asked Athena.

Everyone except Grover and Thalia shrugged. "We don't know."

** Luke looked up and managed a smile. "Don't worry about it, Percy. The campers here, they're mostly good peo-ple. After all, we're extended family, right? We take care of each other."**

"And we're dating one another?" Piper asked, suddenly feeling a little sick.

"No DNA!" Grover reminded her.

"That's a good thing." Jason sighed in relief.

** He seemed to understand how lost I felt, and I was grateful for that, because an older guy like him-even if he was a counselor-should've steered clear of an uncool middle-schooler like me. But Luke had welcomed me into the cabin. He'd even stolen me some toiletries, which was the nicest thing anybody had done for me all day.**

And the couple chose that moment to come in.

**I decided to ask him my last big question, the one that had been bothering me all afternoon. "Clarisse, from Ares, was joking about me being 'Big Three' material. Then Annabeth ... Twice, she said I might be 'the one. ' She said I should talk to the Oracle. What was that all about?"**

**Luke folded his knife. "I hate prophecies. "**

"Same!" All the demigods said.

** "What do you mean?"**

** His face twitched around the scar. "Let's just say I messed things up for everybody else. The last two years, ever since my trip to the Garden of the Hesperides**

"Hercules arched an eyebrow.

** went sour, Chiron hasn't allowed any more quests. Annabeth's been dying to get out into the world. She pestered Chiron so much he finally told her he already knew her fate. He'd had a prophecy from the Oracle.**

Piper connected the dots. "You were in two great prophecies?!"

"We both were," Annabeth muttered. "And I hate it."

Athena and Poseidon looked very worried all of the sudden.

** He wouldn't tell her the whole thing, but he said Annabeth wasn't destined to go on a quest yet. She had to wait until... Somebody special came to the camp."**

** "Somebody special?"**

"You."

** "Don't worry about it, kid, " Luke said. "Annabeth wants to think every new camper who comes through here is the omen she's been waiting for. Now, come on, it's dinnertime."**

**The moment he said it, a horn blew in the distance. Somehow, I knew it was a conch shell, even though I'd never heard one before.**

"Call of the sea, brother," Theseus told Percy.

"I know."

** Luke yelled, "Eleven, fall in!"**

** The whole cabin, about twenty of us, filed into the commons yard. We lined up in order of seniority, so of course I was dead last. Campers came from the other cabins, too, except for the three empty cabins at the end, and cabin eight, which had looked normal in the daytime, but was now starting to glow silver as the sun went down.**

"Of course," Annabeth said. "Goddess of the moon. It will explain later."

**We marched up the hill to the mess hall pavilion. Satyrs joined us from the meadow. Naiads emerged from the canoeing lake. A few other girls came out of the woods- and when I say out of the woods, I mean straight out of the woods. I saw one girl, about nine or ten years old, melt from the side of a maple tree and come skipping up the hill.**

** In all, there were maybe a hundred campers, a few dozen satyrs, and a dozen assorted wood nymphs and naiads. **

**At the pavilion, torches blazed around the marble columns. A central fire burned in a bronze brazier the size of a bathtub. Each cabin had its own table, covered in white cloth trimmed in purple. Four of the tables were empty, but cabin eleven's was way overcrowded. I had to squeeze on to the edge of a bench with half my butt hanging off.**

"TMI!" groaned a weak voice.

** I saw Grover sitting at table twelve with Mr. D, a few satyrs, and a couple of plump blond boys who looked just like Mr. D. **

Dionysus smiled.

**Chiron stood to one side, the picnic table being way too small for a centaur. **

** Annabeth sat at table six with a bunch of serious-looking athletic kids, all with her gray eyes and honey- blond hair.**

"So your honey-blond hair is your taste?"

"Shut it, Kelp Head,"

** Clarisse sat behind me at Ares's table. She'd apparently gotten over being hosed down, because she was laughing and belching right alongside her friends. **

** Finally, Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor of the pavilion, and everybody fell silent. He raised a glass. "To the gods!"**

**Everybody else raised their glasses. "To the gods!"**

** Wood nymphs came forward with platters of food: grapes, apples, strawberries, cheese, fresh bread, and yes, barbecue! My glass was empty, but Luke said, "Speak to it. Whatever you want-nonalcoholic, of course. "**

** I said, "Cherry Coke. "**

**The glass filled with sparkling caramel liquid. **

** Then I had an idea. "Blue Cherry Coke."**

"Why-"

** The soda turned a violent shade of cobalt. **

** I took a cautious sip. Perfect. **

** I drank a toast to my mother.**

"Oh."

**She's not gone, I told myself. Not permanently, anyway. She's in the Underworld. And if that's a real place, then someday... **

** "Here you go, Percy, " Luke said, handing me a platter of smoked brisket. **

** I loaded my plate and was about to take a big bite when I noticed everybody getting up, carrying their plates toward the fire in the center of the pavilion. I wondered if they were going for dessert or something. **

** "Come on, " Luke told me. **

** As I got closer, I saw that everyone was taking a portion of their meal and dropping it into the fire, the ripest straw-berry, the juiciest slice of beef, the warmest, most buttery roll. **

** Luke murmured in my ear, "Burnt offerings for the gods. They like the smell."**

** "You're kidding. "**

**His look warned me not to take this lightly, but I couldn't help wondering why an immortal, all-powerful being would like the smell of burning food.**

"Okay..."

**Luke approached the fire, bowed his head, and tossed in a cluster of fat red grapes. "Hermes. "**

** I was next. **

** I wished I knew what god's name to say. **

** Finally, I made a silent plea. Whoever you are, tell me. Please.**

"I will, Poseidon vowed.

**I scraped a big slice of brisket into the flames. **

** When I caught a whiff of the smoke, I didn't gag.**

"Is it just me or is it very quiet?" Hermes whispered.

Apollo pointed to several sleeping demigods.

** It smelled nothing like burning food. It smelled of hot chocolate and fresh-baked brownies, hamburgers on the grill and wildflowers, and a hundred other good things that shouldn't have gone well together, but did. I could almost believe the gods could live off that smoke. **

** When everybody had returned to their seats and fin-ished eating their meals, Chiron pounded his hoof again for our attention. **

** Mr. D got up with a huge sigh. "Yes, I suppose I'd bet-ter say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Our activities director, Chiron, says the next capture the flag is Friday. Cabin five presently holds the laurels. "**

** A bunch of ugly cheering rose from the Ares table.**

**"Personally," Mr. D continued, "I couldn't care less, but congratulations. Also, I should tell you that we have a new camper today. Peter Johnson. "**

** Chiron murmured something. **

** "Er, Percy Jackson," Mr. D corrected. "That's right. Hurrah, and all that. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on."**

CUe glares for the god of wine.

**Everybody cheered. We all headed down toward the amphitheater, where Apollo's cabin led a sing- along. We sang camp songs about the gods and ate s'mores and joked around, and the funny thing was, I didn't feel that anyone was staring at me anymore. I felt that I was home. **

** Later in the evening, when the sparks from the campfire were curling into a starry sky, the conch horn blew again, and we all filed back to our cabins. I didn't realize how exhausted I was until I collapsed on my borrowed sleeping bag. **

** My fingers curled around the Minotaur's horn. I thought about my mom, but I had good thoughts: her smile, the bedtime stories she would read me when I was a kid, the way she would tell me not to let the bedbugs bite. **

** When I closed my eyes, I fell asleep instantly.**

All the demigods closed their eyes on the couch. The satyr fell on the floor.

** That was my first day at Camp Half-Blood. **

** I wish I'd known how briefly I would get to enjoy my new home.**

"Forshadowing," Athena mused. "Interesting."


	10. I Don't Like Chitons And Tunics

**Also, I know this is overused. If you have already read my other story, don't worry, I will update both every ****week.**

Someone said it was weird that 17 year olds are sitting on their parents laps. But I have to say, I don't think so. The gods are I don't know, 10 feet tall or more? Compared to them, the demigods are little kiddos.

Disclaimer: I am NOT a male!

* * *

><p>"So do we leave them and go to bed or wake them up and continue reading?" Dionysus asked.<p>

"GET THEM UP NOW!" Ares roared, and the demigods stirred.

"My daughter is sleeping!" Aphrodite hissed.

"I don't care," Ares snapped. "Continue reading- now!"

Annabeth suddenly began screaming on the top of his lungs: "Don't kill him! Seaweed Brain! Don't die on me"...

Then, Percy woke up and crawled over to her." Sssh,, Annabeth. We escaped. We are together. We are on Olympus now." He slowly began wiping away the girl's tears.

"Wimp,"Hercules muttered, getting up.

"Then how about you take a trip to the underworld?!" Jason growled, glaring.

"Done it before," the god stared at them boredly.

"Really?" Piper arched an eyebrow. "The deepest part of the underworld and meeting the owner itself?!"

"Wait," Athena stared at them. "What do you mean?!"

Annabeth who then stopped sobbing looked up, whimpering. "It's... not.. nothing."

Athena stared at her in the eye. "Annabeth, don't lie, please. We both know it's no nothing."

To her surprise, all her daughter did was hug her tightly and sobbed. "Please... mom." *Swallows* "I.. I.. really can't talk about it, not now."

Athena froze, then weaved her fingers through her daughter's hair. "Alright," she said softly. "I'll be there if you need me," Then, she addressed the everyone else. "Let's bring the demigods tp their rooms. And it would be wise to put Perseus," she looked at her brother. "I mean Percy and Annabeth in the same room."

"Now, sister," Hercules said. "I don't know about everyone else but I don't know if you can trust these demigods."

Athena took a deep breath. "I _do_ trust them." She looked at Hercules in eye. "There's a reason why these books are about them, not us. And..." She shook her head. "Come on, demigods. Let's show you your rooms for now. Percy and Annabeth, which palace do you want to stay in?"

Annabeth and Percy had a silent conversation. "We could sleep in separate palaces. We believe that the cause of the nightmare we got now is from the loud noise. We haven't have nightmares for months now."

"Well then," Poseidon stood up. "What are we waiting for? Bring the demigods to their rooms."

* * *

><p>Annabeth got the room right next to Athena's chambers; a royal suite.<p>

"Say the color you want the room to be," Athena urged her.

"Grey," she said, as the walls started painting themselves. The demigoddess walked over to to her bed. There were three grey fluffy pillows and a white bed sheet and covers made of silk. The room was connected to a bathroom.

"It has all you need." Athena explained. "And the closet," she pointed to the wall. "Has the chitons."

"But I don't want to wear chitons!" Annabeth whined. "I want clothes and pajamas."

Athena frowned. "What is a pajama?"

"Oh, it's like a T-shirt and shorts but for sleeping." She gave her mother widen eyes like an owls. "Pwease?" she said in a baby voice.

Athena sighed. "Okay, but I am not sure how to get them."

"Sewing and weaving," Annabeth explained, and gave her directions. And this is the reason for why the goddess of war, wisdom and crafts among other things only got fours hours of sleep.

* * *

><p>Percy chose a room with that was pretty big. It had a large water bed and a swimming pool inside. The whole room was blue. However, the connecting bathroom was all black.<p>

"Father, why do I have to where a tunic?"

Poseidon laughed. "If no tunic, then what?"

Percy pointed to himself. "These are called shorts and T-shirts. They are _way _more comfortable than tunics and chitons."

Poseidon stared at it. "Hm... try talking to Athena. She is the goddess of crafts."

Percy nodded. "But what do I do tonight?"

Poseidon shrugged. "Bear with it."

Percy gave him a look that said you've gotta be kidding me.

Poseidon chuckled and pointed to a palace about two miles away. "There."

Percy gave his father a mock glare and took out a drachma. "Please show me Athena." **(Oops. I forgot what you're supposed to say and I'm about to ruin my pattern of _P'_s)** he said, after making a rainbow.

"Perseus, is there something you need?" The goddess who was sewing together peices of clothes said.

"Um.. um..."

Annabeth grinned. "Hey seaweed brain."

"'Beth."

"It's _Anna_beth!" the girl whined.

Athena coughed.

"Oh. Um, lady Athena? I don't feel comfortable in tunics so..." he blushed.

Athena sighed. "Size?"

"Large," Annabeth answered. "And you might as well make a whole bunch, at least one for every demigod from the future."

"That would be nice," Piper said, her face showing up. "Apparently, everyone is here,"

"So far my mom made four," Annabeth, said, going undercovers. "So the girls could come get it. But the boys?" She grinned and layed down.

"How many boys are there?" Athena asked.

"Make five, please," Nico said.

"Okay, we're coming." said Piper, waving a hand and disconnecting the iris message.


	11. Tension a lot of it

**Also, I know this is overused. If you have already read my other story, don't worry, I will update both every ****week. Also, I am sorry for not updating since... a long time. **

Disclaimer: I am NOT a male!

* * *

><p>"How did everyone sleep?" Zeus asked.<p>

"It was uncomfortable at first," Thalia informed her father. "But it changed after Lady Athena made the pjs."

Aphrodite sighed. "Apparently, to them, we are late in fashion."

Athena shrugged. "Who shall read?"

"Ooh! Me! Me! Call on me!" Apollo yelled.

Athena threw the book. SMACK! It hit his face. Nevertheless, Apollo was still grinning as he flipped to the right pages.

**WE CAPTURE A FLAG**

The campers cheered.

"What is capture the flag?"

"It's a war game," Jason answered before Annabeth could start a whole rant and yell at Hercules.

**The next few days I settled into a routine that felt almost normal, if you don't count the fact that I was getting lessons from satyrs, nymphs, and a centaur. **

"You know, punk," Ares leaned forwards. "You are lucky to be able to get those lessons. Now, the demigods train by themselves. They make it or not, their own problems."

"Well, it would be way easier if that's the way," Percy muttered under his breath.

Athena looked at him. "What?"

"Um nothing?" Percy squeaked and looked at Apollo.

** Each morning I took Ancient Greek from Annabeth,**

Aphrodite squealed.

"Dite," Ares said, rubbing his ears. "I know that you are very excited, but there is no need to squeal every time."

Athena suddenly started clapping for Ares.

"What?!" The god huffed.

"You just said something intelligent!" And soon everyone was cheering and laughing and clapping, leaving a fuming Ares.

**and we talked about the gods and goddesses in the present tense, which was kind of weird. **

Cue glares for Percy.

**I discovered Annabeth was right**

"When is she not?" asked Thalia.

There were hums of agreement from campers.

**about my dyslexia: Ancient Greek wasn't that hard for me to read. At least, no harder than English. After a couple of mornings, I could stumble through a few lines of Homer without too much headache. **

**The rest of the day, I'd rotate through outdoor activities, looking for something I was good at.**

"Sword fighting," campers echoed.

**Chiron tried to teach me archery, but we found out pretty quick I wasn't any good with a bow and arrow.**

There were snorts.

"Only Orion, Theseus and Bellerophon could do archery," Poseidon mused. "Of all my sons."

"Who told you to insult Apollo?" asked Athena.

"I did?"

Apollo rolled his eyes and continued to read.

**He didn't complain, even when he had to desnag a stray arrow out of his tail. **

There was a good amount of laughter at that.

"I feel bad for Chiron!"Leo said between laughter.

"HEY!"

**Foot racing? No good either. The wood-nymph instructors left me in the dust.**

Heracles started laughing. Seriously? You are slower than a tree?"

"Well, you will be slower too. Trust me, there are really fast," Nico glared. "I wonder if _shadow traveling _will beat them."

Hades frowned. "No way they could be faster than show travelling!"

** They told me not to worry about it. They'd had centuries of practice running away from lovesick gods.**

Some goddesses laughed while others glared at the gods or just simply looked disgusted.

** But still, it was a little humiliating to be slower than a tree.**

There were hoots of agreement from the campers.

**And wrestling? Forget it. Every time I got on the mat, Clarisse would pulverize me.**

"Ha!" Ares smiled. He was glad that his daughter got revenge.

**"There's more where that came from, punk, " she'd mumble in my ear.**

The god of war cheered.

**The only thing I really excelled at was canoeing, and that wasn't the kind of heroic skill people expected to see from the kid who had beaten the Minotaur.**

"True..." Frank muttered.

**I knew the senior campers and counselors were watching me, trying to decide who my dad was, but they weren't having an easy time of it. **

"Duh!" Annabeth looked at her boyfriend. "We have never seen a child of big three until you. Well, Thalia but.. you know. Plus, only Luke and I know her."

**I wasn't as strong as the Ares kids, **

Ares looked up like a spoiled brat, his arms crossed.

**or as good at archery as the Apollo kids.**

Apollo beamed.

"CLOSE YOUR MOUTH!"

** I didn't have Hephaestus's skill with metalwork**

Hephaestus grunted.

** or-gods forbid- Dionysus's way with vine plants.**

"The feeling's mutual, Peter."

** Luke told me I might be a child of Hermes, a kind of jack-of-all-trades, master of none.**

The deities frowned. It seemed as if Luke was resentful of something...

** But I got the feeling he was just trying to make me feel better.**

The futures snorted.

** He really didn't know what to make of me either.**

**Despite all that, I liked camp.**

"Love," Percy corrected.

** I got used to the morning fog over the beach, the smell of hot strawberry fields in the afternoon, even the weird noises of monsters in the woods at night. I would eat dinner with cabin eleven, scrape part of my meal into the fire, and try to feel some connection to my real dad. Nothing came. Just that warm feeling I'd always had, like the memory of his smile. I tried not to think too much about my mom, but I kept wondering: if gods and monsters were real, if all this magical stuff was possible, surely there was some way to save her, to bring her back...**

The deities groaned.

"Annabeth, if he goes there, you are _not _going with him."

Annabeth smiled cheekily. Her mother would not be happy.

** I started to understand Luke's bitterness and how he seemed to resent his father, Hermes.**

Once again the gods frowned. Something is not going to end well.

** So okay, maybe gods had important things to do. But couldn't they call once in a while, or thunder, or something? Dionysus could make Diet Coke appear out of thin air. Why couldn't my dad, whoever he was, make a phone appear?**

At that, Hera got a lot of glares.

** Thursday afternoon, three days after I'd arrived at Camp Half-Blood, I had my first sword-fighting lesson. Every-body from cabin eleven gathered in the big circular arena, where Luke would be our instructor.**

Hermes smiled proudly.

** We started with basic stabbing and slashing, using some straw-stuffed dummies in Greek armor. I guess I did okay. At least, I understood what I was supposed to do and my reflexes were good.**

**The problem was, I couldn't find a blade that felt right in my hands. **

"Only one blade works," Annabeth informed the confused gods.

**Either they were too heavy, or too light, or too long. Luke tried his best to fix me up, but he agreed that none of the practice blades seemed to work for me. **

**We moved on to dueling in pairs. Luke announced he would be my partner, since this was my first time.**

Annabeth's jaws dropped. "But..."

** "Good luck, " one of the campers told me. "Luke's the best swordsman in the last three hundred years."**

Now everyone except Percy's jaws dropped.

** "Maybe he'll go easy on me, " I said. **

** The camper snorted.**

"Fat chance," agreed Jason.

** Luke showed me thrusts and parries and shield blocks the hard way. With every swipe, I got a little more battered and bruised. "Keep your guard up, Percy, " he'd say, then whap me in the ribs with the flat of his blade. "No, not that far up!" Whap! "Lunge!" Whap! "Now, back!" Whap!**

"I love the sound affects!" Leo exclaimed. "More enthusiasm, Apollo!"

** By the time he called a break, I was soaked in sweat. Everybody swarmed the drinks cooler. Luke poured ice water on ****his head, which looked like such a good idea, I did the same.**

Annabeth was suddenly grinning ear to ear when a flash surrounded Hazel and Frank, who disappeared. A bird appeared and landed on Hercules head.

Athena opened a palm and the bird flew to her hand. She read the note it carried out loud: "Dear demigods, Grover and gods, this is the fates. Frank and Hazel will be in Camp Jupiter, seeing as they are needed there."

"Well, that explains it," Piper said after a moment of silence.

**Instantly, I felt better. Strength surged back into my arms. The sword didn't feel so awkward.**

" Didn't feel so awkward, yet still awkward," Hermes said, earning some confused glances.

** "Okay, everybody circle up!" Luke ordered. "If Percy doesn't mind, I want to give you a little demo."**

** Great, I thought. Let's all watch Percy get pounded.**

"So optimistic, Perce," Jason commented.

** The Hermes guys gathered around. They were suppressing smiles.**

"Figures," Piper shrugged. "When are they not?"

** I figured they'd been in my shoes before and couldn't wait to see how Luke used me for a punching bag. He told everybody he was going to demonstrate a disarming technique: how to twist the enemy's blade with the flat of your own sword so that he had no choice but to drop his weapon.**

"Love that technique," Athena and Ares said at the same time.

** "This is difficult, " he stressed. "I've had it used against me. No laughing at Percy, now. Most swordsmen have to work years to master this technique."**

"Took me one day!" Ares boasted.

Athena rolled her eyes. "Mastered it on my first try," she said smugly to Ares. "It was easy."

Ares grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, stupid goddess of wisdom and war who is good at everything."

"Stupid?!" Athena exclaimed.

Ares responded by falling off his throne.

"I got it in two days," Thalia said.

"One week," Jason answered. "Being Roman and all."

"Just one day and only used it once, we prefer knives. And daggers."

"Well then," Percy chuckled. "Let's see how long it took me."

**He demonstrated the move on me in slow motion. Sure enough, the sword clattered out of my hand.**

**"Now in real time, " he said, after I'd retrieved my weapon. "We keep sparring until one of us pulls it off. Ready, Percy?"**

** I nodded, and Luke came after me. Somehow, I kept him from getting a shot at the hilt of my sword. My senses opened up. I saw his attacks coming. I countered. I stepped forward and tried a thrust of my own. Luke deflected it easily, but I saw a change in his face. His eyes narrowed, and he started to press me with more force.**

Several campers grimaced.

** The sword grew heavy in my hand. The balance wasn't right. I knew it was only a matter of seconds before Luke took me down, so I figured, What the heck?**

** I tried the disarming maneuver. **

** My blade hit the base of Luke's and I twisted, putting my whole weight into a downward thrust. **

** Clang.**

The gods jaws dropped while the goddesses rolled their eyes.

"So first try," Athena mused, as if she was amused.

**Luke's sword rattled against the stones. The tip of my blade was an inch from his undefended chest. **

** The other campers were silent. **

** I lowered my sword. "Um, sorry."**

"Really?" Ares glanced at the half-blood. "You apologized?"

** For a moment, Luke was too stunned to speak.**

**"Sorry?" His scarred face broke into a grin. "By the gods, Percy, why are you sorry? Show me that again!"**

** I didn't want to. The short burst of manic energy had completely abandoned me. But Luke insisted. **

** This time, there was no contest. **

"Of course." Someone muttered.

**The moment our swords connected, Luke hit my hilt and sent my weapon skidding across the floor. **

** After a long pause, somebody in the audience said, "Beginner's luck?"**

"Pft!"

**Luke wiped the sweat off his brow. He appraised at me with an entirely new interest. "Maybe," he said. "But I wonder what Percy could do with a balanced sword... ."**

"A whole dam lot of damage," Thalia laughed before exploding into a fit of laughter. Percy soon joined afterwards.

Grover only smiled while everyone else looked confused. They rd to Annabeth who only shrugged.

** Friday afternoon, I was sitting with Grover at the lake, resting from a near-death experience on the climbing wall. Grover had scampered to the top like a mountain goat, but the lava had almost gotten me. My shirt had smoking holes in it. The hairs had been singed off my forearms.**

"The lava wall is easy," Annabeth sighed. "How is this possible?"

"TO YOU!" Was the reply from all the campers save Leo.

"Actually, she is right."

**We sat on the pier, watching the naiads do underwater basket-weaving, until I got up the nerve to ask Grover how his conversation had gone with Mr. D. **

** His face turned a sickly shade of yellow. **

** "Fine, " he said. "Just great. "**

** "So your career's still on track?"**

**He glanced at me nervously. "Chiron t-told you I want a searcher's license?"**

"For what?!" The gods sighed in exasperation.

**Well... No. " I had no idea what a searcher's license was, but it didn't seem like the right time to ask. "He just said you had big plans, you know ... And that you needed credit for completing a keeper's assignment. So did you get it?"**

** Grover looked down at the naiads. "Mr. D suspended judgment. He said I hadn't failed or succeeded with you yet, so our fates were still tied together. If you got a quest and I went along to protect you, and we both came back alive, then maybe he'd consider the job complete."**

The demigods who survived Tartarus and Thalia looked surprised.

** My spirits lifted. "Well, that's not so bad, right?"**

** "Blaa-ha-ha! He might as well have transferred me to stable-cleaning duty. The chances of you getting a quest... And even if you did, why would you want me along?"**

"GROVER!"

"I know, I know."

** "Of course I'd want you along!" **

**Grover stared glumly into the water. "Basket-weaving ... Must be nice to have a useful skill."**

"It could be useful." Athena defended.

"True," Annabeth agreed. "Saved me... er..." she faltered when the got the deities' attention.

"When?" asked Poseidon.

"Yea, where? A quest?" Ares leaned forwards, eagerly.

** I tried to reassure him that he had lots of talents, but that just made him look more miserable. We talked about canoeing and swordplay for a while, then debated the pros and cons of the different gods. Finally, I asked him about the four empty cabins. **

** "Number eight, the silver one, belongs to Artemis, " he said. "She vowed to be a maiden forever. So of course, no kids. The cabin is, you know, honorary. If she didn't have one, she'd be mad. "**

** "Yeah, okay. But the other three, the ones at the end. Are those the Big Three?"**

** Grover tensed. We were getting close to a touchy subject. "No. One of them, number two, is Hera's, " he said. "That's another honorary thing. She's the goddess of marriage, so of course she wouldn't go**** around having affairs with mortals. **

"You got that right!"

**That's her husband's job. **

Hera glared at Grover.

**When we say the Big Three, we mean the three powerful brothers, the sons of Kronos."**

**"Zeus, Poseidon, Hades. "**

** "Right. You know. After the great battle with the Titans, they took over the world from their dad and drew lots to decide who got what."**

"Wasting trees," Demeter growled.

** "Zeus got the sky, " I remembered. "Poseidon the sea, Hades the Underworld. "**

** "Uh-huh. "**

** "But Hades doesn't have a cabin here."**

Hades glared at his brothers

** "No. He doesn't have a throne on Olympus, either. He sort of does his own thing down in the Underworld. If he did have a cabin here ... " Grover shuddered. "Well, it wouldn't be pleasant. Let's leave it at that."**

Nico mock glared, knowing that soon his father would have a cabin.

** "But Zeus and Poseidon-they both had, like, a bazillion kids in the myths. Why are their cabins empty?"**

** Grover shifted his hooves uncomfortably. "About sixty years ago, after World War II, the Big Three agreed they wouldn't sire any more heroes. Their children were just too powerful. They were affecting the course of human events too much, causing too much carnage. World War II,**

"Tsk. Tsk."

** you know, that was basically a fight between the sons of Zeus and Poseidon on one side, and the sons of Hades on the other. The winning side, Zeus and Poseidon, made Hades swear an oath with them: no more affairs with mortal women. They all swore on the River Styx."**

"Look how that turned out," Annabeth said sarcastically.

"HEY!"

"I mean your fathers, who are married, can't keep it in their pants."

"Eh. Can't argue with that," Thalia shrugged.

** Thunder boomed.**

** I said, "That's the most serious oath you can make. "**

** Grover nodded. **

** "And the brothers kept their word-no kids?"**

** Grover's face darkened. "Seventeen years ago, Zeus fell off the wagon. **

"Same as Poseidon five years later."Piper added.

**There was this TV starlet with a big fluffy eighties hairdo-he just couldn't help himself. When their child was born, a little girl named Thalia .. . Well, the River Styx is serious about promises. Zeus himself got off easy because he's immortal, but he brought a terrible fate on his daughter."**

**"But that isn't fair. ' It wasn't the little girl's fault."**

"Little girl, eh?"

** Grover hesitated. "Percy, children of the Big Three have powers greater than other half-bloods. They have a strong aura, a scent that attracts monsters. When Hades found out about the girl, he wasn't too happy about Zeus breaking his oath. Hades let the worst monsters out of Tartarus to torment Thalia.**

Thalia received glances of pity.

** A satyr was assigned to be her keeper when she was twelve, but there was nothing he could do. He tried to escort her here with a couple of other half-bloods she'd befriended. They almost made it. They got all the way to the top of that hill."**

Athena frowned. "But if two other half-bloods were with her..."

Annabeth winced.

** He pointed across the valley, to the pine tree where I'd fought the Minotaur. "All three Kindly Ones were after them, along with a horde of hellhounds. They were about to be overrun when Thalia told her satyr to take the other two half-bloods to safety while she held off the monsters. She was wounded and tired, and she didn't want to live like a hunted animal. The satyr didn't want to leave her, but he couldn't change her mind, and he had to protect the others. So Thalia made her final stand alone, at the top of that hill. As she died, Zeus took pity on her. He turned her into that pine tree. Her spirit still helps protect the borders of the valley. That's why the hill is called Half-Blood Hill."**

**I stared at the pine in the distance.**

**The story made me feel hollow, and guilty too. A girl my age had sacrificed herself to save her friends. She had faced a whole army of monsters. Next to that, my victory over the Minotaur didn't seem like much. I wondered, if I'd acted differently, could I have saved my mother?**

"Percy..." The camper groaned.

** "Grover, " I said, "have heroes really gone on quests to the Underworld?"**

** "Sometimes, " he said. "Orpheus. Hercules. Houdini."**

"Houndi?" Hercules echoed. "Whose that?"

He was ignored.

** "And have they ever returned somebody from the dead?"**

** "No. Never. Orpheus came close... . Percy, you're not seriously thinking-"**

** "No, " I lied.**

"You're supposed to be bad at lying, Perce."

"I am. Just gotten better."

** "I was just wondering. So ... A satyr is always assigned to guard a demigod?"**

** Grover studied me warily. I hadn't persuaded him that I'd really dropped the Underworld idea.**

"Emotions."

** "Not always. We go ****undercover to a lot of schools. We try to sniff out the half-bloods who have the makings of great heroes. If we find one with a very strong aura, like a child of the Big Three, we alert Chiron. He tries to keep an eye on them, since they could cause really huge problems."**

** "And you found me. Chiron said you thought I might be something special."**

"You are," Annabeth smiled.

** Grover looked as if I'd just led him into a trap. "I didn't... Oh, listen, don't think like that. If you were-you know-you'd never ever be allowed a quest, and I'd never get my license. You're probably a child of Hermes. Or maybe even one of the minor gods, like Nemesis, the god of revenge.**

"God of revenge?!" Leo exclaimed. "Last time I saw Nemesis, she looked like a goddess to me."

"My mistake."

** Don't worry, okay?"**

** I got the idea he was reassuring himself more than me. **

** That night after dinner, there was a lot more excitement than usual**.

"Why?" asked Hermes.

Percy waved a hand.

**At last, it was time for capture the flag.**

"Oh."

** When the plates were cleared away, the conch horn sounded and we all stood at our tables. **

**Campers yelled and cheered as Annabeth and two of her siblings ran into the pavilion carrying a silk banner. It was about ten feet long, glistening gray, with a painting of a barn owl above an olive tree. **

Athena smiled.

**From the opposite side of the pavilion, Clarisse and her buddies ran in with another banner, of identical size, but gaudy red, painted with a bloody spear and a boar's head.**

Ares smirked.

** I turned to Luke and yelled over the noise, "Those are the flags?"**

** "Yeah. "**

** "Ares and Athena always lead the teams?"**

** "Not always, " he said. "But often."**

"Only twice and when the hunters are here. Every other time they lead."

** "So, if another cabin captures one, what do you do- repaint the flag?"**

** He grinned. "You'll see. First we have to get one."**

**"Whose side are we on?"**

** He gave me a sly look, as if he knew something I didn't. **

"He did."

**The scar on his face made him look almost evil in the torchlight. "We've made a temporary alliance with Athena. Tonight, we get the flag from Ares. And you are going to help."**

"By the way, Annabeth." Percy pouted. "I did not like the plan."

Annabeth grinned and kissed him.

**The teams were announced. Athena had made an alliance with Apollo and Hermes, the two biggest cabins. Apparently, privileges had been traded-shower times, chore schedules, the best slots for activities-in order to win support.**

"Good strategy." Athena complimented.

** Ares had allied themselves with everybody else: Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus. From what I'd seen, Dionysus's kids were actually good athletes, but there were only two of them.**

The god snored.

** Demeter's kids had the edge with nature skills and outdoor stuff but they weren't very aggressive. **

"Excluding Katie," Percy added.

**Aphrodite's sons and daughters I wasn't too worried about. They mostly sat out every activity and checked their reflections in the lake and did their hair and gossiped.**

While Aphrodite beamed, Piper frowned.

** Hephaestus's kids weren't pretty, and there were only four of them, but they were big and burly from working in the metal shop all day. They might be a problem. **

Hephaetsus grunted.

**That, of course, left Ares's cabin: a dozen of the biggest, ugliest, meanest kids on Long Island, or anywhere else on the planet.**

The mentioned god was smile big.

** Chiron hammered his hoof on the marble. **

** "Heroes!" he announced. "You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. **

At this the deities frowned, Hestia the deepest. Did they really have to say that as a reminder?

**I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!"**

** He spread his hands, and the tables were suddenly covered with equipment: helmets, bronze swords, spears, oxhide shields coated in metal. **

** "Whoa, " I said. "We're really supposed to use these?"**

** Luke looked at me as if I were crazy. "Unless you want to get skewered by your friends in cabin five. Here-Chiron thought these would fit. You'll be on border patrol."**

"The perfect place for you," Thalia commented.

"I know," Percy grinned, adding in his head, _we placed quite a show, eh?_

**My shield was the size of an NBA backboard, with a big caduceus in the middle. It weighed about a million pounds. I could have snowboarded on it fine, but I hoped nobody seriously expected me to run**** fast. My helmet, like all the helmets on Athena's side, had a blue horsehair plume on top. Ares and their allies had red plumes. **

** Annabeth yelled, "Blue team, forward!"**

Athena looked proud that her daughter was leading at such a young age.

** We cheered and shook our swords and followed her down the path to the south woods. The red team yelled taunts at us as they headed off toward the north. **

** I managed to catch up with Annabeth without tripping over my equipment. "Hey."**

** She kept marching.**

"OH! COLD SHOULDER!" Nico, Hermes and Apollo were all blasted with freezing water from the sea of monsters.

** "So what's the plan?" I asked. "Got any magic items you can loan me?"**

**Her hand drifted toward her pocket, as if she were afraid I'd stolen something.**

"Did you seriously think he was a son of Hermes, Annie?"

Annabeth growled. "First of all, don't call me Annie. And two, he _could _be one."

"Makes sense."

** "Just watch Clarisse's spear, " she said. "You don't want that thing touching you. Otherwise, don't worry. We'll take the banner from Ares. Has Luke given you your job?"**

** "Border patrol, whatever that means. "**

** "It's easy. Stand by the creek, keep the reds away. Leave the rest to me. Athena always has a plan."**

Percy glared mockingly at the one he loved.

** She pushed ahead, leaving me in the dust. **

** "Okay, " I mumbled. "Glad you wanted me on your team."**

Aphrodite shook her head. "Now, you cannot be like that. More romance!"

** It was a warm, sticky night. The woods were dark, with fireflies popping in and out of view. Annabeth stationed me next to a little creek that gurgled over some rocks, then she and the rest of the team scattered into the trees.**

**Standing there alone, with my big blue-feathered helmet and my huge shield, I felt like an idiot. **

"And probably looked like one too," Thalia snickered before dodging behind Annabeth knowing Percy wouldn't blast her with water that way.

**The bronze sword, like all the swords I'd tried so far, seemed balanced wrong.**

"Of course. Only one sword fits in my hands."

** The leather grip pulled on my hand like a bowling ball. **

** There was no way anybody would actually attack me, would they? I mean, Olympus had to have liability issues, right?**

The gods looked at the campers. "Do we?"

"No."

** Far away, the conch horn blew. I heard whoops and yells in the woods, the clanking of metal, kids fighting. A blue-plumed ally from Apollo raced past me like a deer,**

"I thought that was Artemis's symbol," Orion commented, confused.

"It is," Artemis stared at the campers. "Unless that changed?"

The only given answer was a shake of one's head.

** leaped through the creek, and disappeared into enemy territory. **

** Great, I thought. I'll miss all the fun, as usual.**

"PSH!" Jason gave the son of the sea god a look that said seriously. "ALL the fun centers around you, Perce."

"I know that know." Then he muttered, "Perhaps too fun."

** Then I heard a sound that sent a chill up my spine, a low canine growl, somewhere close by.**

Theseua and Orion stiffened, as did the campers.

** I raised my shield instinctively; I had the feeling something was stalking me. **

** Then the growling stopped. I felt the presence retreating.**

**On the other side of the creek, the underbrush exploded. Five Ares warriors came yelling and screaming out of the dark. **

** "Cream the punk!" Clarisse screamed.**

"YES! CREAM HIM!" Ares yelled.

** Her ugly pig eyes glared through the slits of her helmet. She brandished a five-foot-long spear, its barbed metal tip flickering with red light. Her siblings had only the standard-issue bronze swords-not that that made me feel any better. **

** They charged across the stream. There was no help in sight. I could run. Or I could defend myself against half the Ares cabin. **

** I managed to sidestep the first kid's swing, but these guys were not as stupid the Minotaur. **

"HEY! My children are smart!"

The god of war was ignored.

**They surrounded me, and Clarisse thrust at me with her spear. My shield deflected the point, but I felt a painful tingling all over my body. My hair stood on end. My shield arm went numb, and the air burned.**

Poseidon furrowed his eyebrows.

**Electricity. Her stupid spear was electric. I fell back. **

** Another Ares guy slammed me in the chest with the butt of his sword and I hit the dirt. **

** They could've kicked me into jelly, but they were too busy laughing.**

Ares's laugh quickly subsided. "FOOLS! Don't get distracted!"

** "Give him a haircut, " Clarisse said. "Grab his hair."**

"NO!" Aphrodite wailed. "Not his hair! It's cute!"

** I managed to get to my feet. I raised my sword, but Clarisse slammed it aside with her spear as sparks flew. Now both my arms felt numb.**

Theseus winced.

"Wimp," Heracles muttered and let out a not-so-manly scream when a dagger made of Drakon Bone narrowly missed him.

"First warning," Annabeth told him.

** "Oh, wow, " Clarisse said. "I'm scared of this guy. Really scared."**

"Should be." Piper chuckled slightly. "She just jinxed everything.

** "The flag is that way, " I told her. I wanted to sound angry, but I was afraid it didn't come out that way.**

Nico snickered.

** "Yeah, " one of her siblings said. "But see, we don't care about the flag. We care about a guy who made our cabin look stupid. "**

**"You do that without my help, " I told them. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to say.**

"Not at all, Seaweed Brain."

"I know, that's why I need a wisegirl!"

** Two of them came at me. I backed up toward the creek, tried to raise my shield, but Clarisse was too fast. Her spear stuck me straight in the ribs. If I hadn't been wearing an armored breastplate, I would've been shishkebabbed.**

"What's that?"

"Something similar to a barbecue," the daughter of Aphrodite informed the sun god. "Er... meat and lettuce."

** As it was, the electric point just about shocked my teeth out of my mouth. One of her cabinmates slashed his sword across my arm, leaving a good-size cut. **

** Seeing my own blood made me dizzy-warm and cold at the same time. **

** "No maiming, " I managed to say. **

** "Oops, " the guy said. "Guess I lost my dessert privilege."**

"Dessert privileged?!" Hestia and Hera shouted.

Hera turned to Dionysus. "You need better punishments."

"Yeah, that's bad."

"Don't worry, lady Hestia," Annabeth smiled at the virgin goddess and ignored the oh-so-annoying queen of gods. "Now it's archery or sword fighting with Percy." She grinned. "Works quite well."

Hestia smiled back.

"Humph!" The queen did not like it when she was ignored.

** He pushed me into the creek and I landed with a splash. They all laughed. I figured as soon as they were through being amused, I would die. But then something happened. The water seemed to wake up my senses, as if I'd just had a bag of my mom's double-espresso jelly beans.**

Ares groaned.

**Clarisse and her cabinmates came into the creek to get me, but I stood to meet them. I knew what to do. I swung the flat of my sword against the first guy's head and knocked his helmet clean off. I hit him so hard I could see his eyes vibrating as he crumpled into the water.**

"HOW DARE YOU!"

** Ugly Number Two and Ugly Number Three **

Leo laughed. "Nice names, Percy!"

**came at me. I slammed one in the face with my shield and used my sword to shear off the other guy's horsehair plume. Both of them backed up quick. Ugly Number Four didn't look really anxious to attack, but Clarisse kept coming, the point of her spear crackling with energy. As soon as she thrust, I caught the shaft between the edge of my shield and my sword, and I snapped it like a twig.**

"YOU IDIOT! YOU CORPSE-BREATH WORM!"

** "Ah!" she screamed. "You idiot! You corpse-breath worm!"**

No one knew whether they should be amused or scared of the similarities.

** She probably would've said worse, but I smacked her between the eyes with my sword-butt and sent her stumbling backward out of the creek. **

** Then I heard yelling, elated screams, and I saw Luke racing toward the boundary line with the red team's banner lifted high. He was flanked by a couple of Hermes guys covering his retreat, and a few Apollos behind them, ****fight-ing off the Hephaestus kids. The Ares folks got up, and Clarisse muttered a dazed curse. **

** "A trick!" she shouted. "It was a trick."**

"No duh?" Hephaestus laughed a deep laugh.

Athena smiled at her friend, and Poseidon saw the exchange. He frowned.

** They staggered after Luke, but it was too late. Everybody converged on the creek as Luke ran across into friendly territory. Our side exploded into cheers. The red banner shimmered and turned to silver. The boar and spear were replaced with a huge caduceus, the symbol of cabin eleven.**

"Hecate," Annabeth said in response to the confused looks and a look of understanding replaced the looks of confusion.

** Everybody on the blue team picked up Luke and started carrying him around on their shoulders. Chiron cantered out from the woods and blew the conch horn. **

** The game was over. We'd won. **

** I was about to join the celebration when Annabeth's voice, right next to me in the creek, said, "Not bad, hero." **

** I looked, but she wasn't there. **

** "Where the heck did you learn to fight like that?" she asked. The air shimmered, and she materialized, holding a Yankees baseball cap as if she'd just taken it off her head.**

"An invisibility cap?" asked Leo, interested.

Annabeth smiled at her mother. "12th birthday present."

**I felt myself getting angry. I wasn't even fazed by the fact that she'd just been invisible. "You set me up, " I said. "You put me here because you knew Clarisse would come after me, while you sent Luke around the flank. You had it all figured out."**

** Annabeth shrugged. "I told you. Athena always, always has a plan."**

** "A plan to get me pulverized."**

"Sorry," Annabeth told Percy and kissed him. Aphrodite naturally squealed.

** "I came as fast as I could. I was about to jump in, but ... " She shrugged. "You didn't need help. "**

** Then she noticed my wounded arm. "How did you do that?"**

** "Sword cut, " I said. "What do you think?"**

** "No. It was a sword cut. Look at it. "**

**"Oh, Styx, " she cursed. "This is not good. I didn't want ... I assumed it would be Zeus... ."**

Zeus glared.

"Because of Thalia,"

**Before I could ask what she meant, I heard that canine growl again, but much closer than before. A howl ripped through the forest. **

** The campers' cheering died instantly. Chiron shouted something in Ancient Greek, which I would realize, only later, I had understood perfectly: "Stand ready! My bow!"**

** Annabeth drew her sword. **

** There on the rocks just above us was a black hound the size of a rhino, with lava-red eyes and fangs like daggers. **

** It was looking straight at me. **

** Nobody moved except Annabeth, who yelled, "Percy, run!"**

Poseidon glanced at Athena. "I could hug your daughter now."

** She tried to step in front of me, but the hound was too fast.**

Poseidon, Theseus and Orion sucked in a breath...

** It leaped over her-an enormous shadow with teeth-and just as it hit me, as I stumbled backward and felt its razor-sharp claws ripping through my armor, there was a cascade of thwacking sounds, like forty pieces of paper being ripped one after the other. From the hounds neck sprouted a cluster of arrows. The monster fell dead at my feet.**

And let the breath out.

** By some miracle, I was still alive. I didn't want to look underneath the ruins of my shredded armor. My chest felt warm and wet, and I knew I was badly cut. Another second, and the monster would've turned me into a hundred pounds of delicatessen meat. **

** Chiron trotted up next to us, a bow in his hand, his face grim.**

** "Di immortales!" Annabeth said. "That's a hellhound from the Fields of Punishment. They don't ... They're not supposed to ... "**

** "Someone summoned it, " Chiron said. "Someone inside the camp. "**

** Luke came over, the banner in his hand forgotten, his moment of glory gone.**

Hermes pouted.

** Clarisse yelled, "It's all Percy's fault! Percy summoned it!"**

The campers face-palmed.,

**"Be quiet, child, " Chiron told her. **

** We watched the body of the hellhound melt into shadow, soaking into the ground until it disappeared. **

** "You're wounded, " Annabeth told me. "Quick, Percy, get in the water. "**

** "I'm okay. "**

** "No, you're not, " she said. "Chiron, watch this."**

** I was too tired to argue. I stepped back into the creek, the whole camp gathering around me. **

** Instantly, I felt better. I could feel the cuts on my chest closing up. Some of the campers gasped. **

** "Look, I-I don't know why, " I said, trying to apologize. "I'm sorry..."**

"For my sake," Demeter sighed. "STOP APOLOGIZING!"

** But they weren't watching my wounds heal. They were staring at something above my head. **

** "Percy, " Annabeth said, pointing. "Um ... "**

** By the time I looked up, the sign was already fading, but I could still make out the hologram of green light, spinning and gleaming. A three-tipped spear: a trident. **

** "Your father, " Annabeth murmured. "This is really not good. "**

** "It is determined, " Chiron announced. **

** All around me, campers started kneeling, even the Ares cabin, though they didn't look happy about it.**

Ares grumbled.

**"My father?" I asked, completely bewildered. **

** "Poseidon, " said Chiron. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God."**

"What a dramatic claiming." Piper thought, "We had it differently."

"Because of the promise," Annabeth informed the daughter of Aphrodite.

* * *

><p>:D The start of Pothena for the Pothena fans. Any other pairings you may like?<p> 


	12. Athena Needs Painkillers Too

**Also, I know this is overused. If you have already read my other story, don't worry, I will update both every ****week. Also, I am sorry for not updating since... a long time. **

Disclaimer: I am NOT a male!

* * *

><p>"May I read the book?" Jason asked Athena.<p>

Athena made a gestured and Apollo passed the book over.

**I AM OFFERED A QUEST**

"Already?"

**The next morning, Chiron moved me to cabin three. **

** I didn't have to share with anybody. I had plenty of room for all my stuff: the Minotaur's horn, one set of spare clothes, and a toiletry bag. I got to sit at my own dinner table, pick all my own activities, call "lights out" whenever I felt like it, and not listen to anybody else. **

** And I was absolutely miserable.**

"Why?" Hermes asked, puzzled.

** Just when I'd started to feel accepted, to feel I had a home in cabin eleven and I might be a normal kid- or as normal as you can be when you're a half-blood-I'd been separated out as if I had some rare disease.**

The half blood received sympathetic looks.

** Nobody mentioned the hellhound, but I got the feeling they were all talking about it behind my back. The attack had scared everybody. It sent two messages: one, that I was the son of the Sea God; and two, monsters would stop at ****nothing to kill me. They could even invade a camp that had always been considered safe.**

There were restless gestures suddenly.

** The other campers steered clear of me as much as possible. Cabin eleven was too nervous to have sword class with me after what I'd done to the Ares folks in the woods, so my lessons with Luke became one-on-one.**

Cue the grumbles.

** He pushed me harder than ever, and wasn't afraid to bruise me up in the process.**

Annabeth growled. "He's right. He isn't afraid to hurt you."

The deities were surprised at Annabeth's growl. She seemed pretty collected...

** "You're going to need all the training you can get, " he promised, as we were working with swords and flaming torches. "Now let's try that viper-beheading strike again. Fifty more repetitions."**

Usually, I wouldn't mind it," Ares admitted. "But 50 is a bit too much."

Athena nodded in agreement. "Luke is a bit too harsh."

** Annabeth still taught me Greek in the mornings, but she seemed distracted. Every time I said something, she scowled at me, as if I'd just poked her between the eyes.**

** After lessons, she would walk away muttering to herself: "Quest ... Poseidon? ... Dirty rotten ... Got to make a plan ... "**

Zeus laughed. "That sounds exactly like my daughter!"

Poseidon frowned. _Dirty and rotten? What the Hades..._

** Even Clarisse kept her distance, though her venomous looks made it clear she wanted to kill me for breaking her magic spear. I wished she would just yell or punch me or something. I'd rather get into fights every day than be ignored.**

"You could have just said so," Thalia joked. "I'm sure Clarisse would be so happy."

Percy shrugged.

** I knew somebody at camp resented me, because one night I came into my cabin and found a mortal newspaper dropped inside the doorway, a copy of the New York Daily News, opened to the Metro page. The article took me almost an hour to read, because the angrier I got, the more the words floated around on the page. **

** BOY AND MOTHER STILL MISSING AFTER**

** FREAK CAR ACCIDENT**

** BY EILEEN SMYTHE**

** Sally Jackson and son Percy are still missing one week after their mysterious disappearance. The family's badly burned '78 Camaro was discovered last Saturday on a north Long Island road with the roof ripped off and the front axle broken. The car had flipped and skidded for several hundred feet before exploding.**

"That's some damage for something like a chariot," Hephaestus mused. "Cannot be fixed again."

** Mother and son had gone for a weekend vacation to Montauk, but left hastily, under mysterious circumstances. Small ****of blood were found in the car and near the scene of the wreck, but there were no other signs of the missing Jacksons. Residents in the rural area reported seeing nothing unusual around the time of the accident.**

"Of course," grumbled Piper. "Hate the mist."

"The mist keeps us away from mortals," Aphrodite said.

"I know. But it's annoying what mortals think it is."

Aphrodite shrugged. "Can't argue with that."

** Ms. Jackson's husband, Gabe Ugliano, claims that his stepson, Percy Jackson, is a troubled child who has been kicked out of numerous boarding schools and has expressed violent tendencies in the past.**

** Police would not say whether son Percy is a suspect in his mother's disappearance, but they have not ruled out foul play. Below are recent pictures of Sally Jackson and Percy. Police urge anyone with information to call the following toll-free crime-stoppers hotline. **

** The phone number was circled in black marker. **

** I wadded up the paper and threw it away, then flopped down in my bunk bed in the middle of my empty cabin. **

** "Lights out, " I told myself miserably. **

** That night, I had my worst dream yet.**

There were shivers.

**I was running along the beach in a storm. This time, there was a city behind me. Not New York. The sprawl was different: buildings spread farther apart, palm trees and low hills in the distance.**

Demeter stopped eating bread. "Isn't that Olympus? You were dreaming of Olympus?"

Percy only nodded.

** About a hundred yards down the surf, two men were fighting. They looked like TV wrestlers, muscular, with beards and long hair. Both wore flowing Greek tunics, one trimmed in blue, the other in green. They grappled with each other, wrestled, kicked and head-butted, and every time they connected, lightning flashed, the sky grew darker, and the wind rose.**

"Let me guess," Athena sighed. "Father accused Poseidon of taking the bolt."

Grover, Annabeth and Percy just grinned.

** I had to stop them. I didn't know why. But the harder I ran, the more the wind blew me back, until I was running in place, my heels digging uselessly in the sand. **

** Over the roar of the storm, I could hear the blue-robed one yelling at the green-robed one, Give it back! Give it back! Like a kindergartner fighting over a toy.**

"Don't know what a kindergartner is," Athena said. "But if it has something to do with immature, you got the idea."

"A five year old," Jason said.

"Hey!" Zeus and Poseidon yelled.

** The waves got bigger, crashing into the beach, spraying me with salt.**

** I yelled, Stop it! Stop fighting!**

** The ground shook. Laughter came from somewhere under the earth, and a voice so deep and evil it turned my blood to ice.**

"Hades, I swear if you took it..." The two brothers left the threat hanging there.

** Come down, little hero, the voice crooned. Come down!**

** The sand split beneath me, opening up a crevice straight down to the center of the earth. My feet slipped, and darkness swallowed me. **

** I woke up, sure I was falling. **

** I was still in bed in cabin three. My body told me it was morning, but it was dark outside, and thunder rolled across the hills. A storm was brewing. I hadn't dreamed that. **

** I heard a clopping sound at the door, a hoof knocking on the threshold.**

**"Come in?"**

** Grover trotted inside, looking worried. "Mr. D wants to see you."**

** "Why?"**

** "He wants to kill...**

Poseidon glared at Dionysus.

"Smooth Grover. Smooth," Nico laughed.

The satyr blushed.

** I mean, I'd better let him tell you."**

** Nervously, I got dressed and followed, sure that I was in huge trouble. **

**For days, I'd been half expecting a summons to the Big House. Now that I was declared a son of Poseidon, one of the Big Three gods who weren't supposed to have kids, I figured it was a crime for me just to be alive.**

"True," Thalia commented. "Unless you're Roman. Or immortal."

** The other gods had probably been debating the best way to punish me for existing, and now Mr. D was ready to deliver their verdict.**

"Nah." Hermes waved it off. "Little cousin, you worry too much. I'll be doing the delivery."

** Over Long Island Sound, the sky looked like ink soup coming to a boil. A hazy curtain of rain was coming in our direction. I asked Grover if we needed an umbrella.**

**"No, " he said. "It never rains here unless we want it to."**

** I pointed at the storm. "What the heck is that, then?"**

** He glanced uneasily at the sky. "It'll pass around us. Bad weather always does."**

"No wonder why it never rains!" Leo snapped his fingers.

** I realized he was right. In the week I'd been here, it had never even been overcast. The few rain clouds I'd seen had skirted right around the edges of the valley. **

** But this storm ... This one was huge. **

** At the volleyball pit, the kids from Apollo's cabin were playing a morning game against the satyrs.**

"Who won?" Apollo asked.

"Didn't stay long to see,"

"Oh."

** Dionysus's twins were walking around in the strawberry fields, making the plants grow. Everybody was going about their normal business, but they looked tense. They kept their eyes on the storm.**

** Grover and I walked up to the front porch of the Big House. Dionysus sat at the pinochle table in his tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt with his Diet Coke, just as he had on my first day. Chiron sat across the table in his fake wheel-chair. They were playing against invisible opponents-two sets of cards hovering in the air. **

** "Well, well, " Mr. D said without looking up. "Our little celebrity."**

"What's a celebrity?" asked Orion.

"A famous person." Annabeth offered as a definition.

**I waited. **

** "Come closer, " Mr. D said. "And don't expect me to kowtow to you, mortal, just because old Barnacle- Beard**

Athena grinned.

"Hey! No one can call me names!" Poseidon yelled.

"Barnacle Beard." _Well, no one other than Athena. _

** is your father."**

** A net of lightning flashed across the clouds. Thunder shook the windows of the house. **

** "Blah, blah, blah," Dionysus said.**

Athena clapped in delight. "Good, Dionysus!"

The demigods stared, wide-eyed.

The gods really changed...

** Chiron feigned interest in his pinochle cards. Grover cowered by the railing, his hooves clopping back and forth. **

** "If I had my way, " Dionysus said, "I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats**

All the deities glared. "MY CHILDREN ARE _NOT _BRATS_!"_

**safe from harm."**

** "Spontaneous combustion is a form of harm, Mr. D," Chiron put in. **

** "Nonsense, " Dionysus said. "Boy wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father."**

Poseidon chuckled. "Not a bad idea."

"Yea, not bad at all for Frank." Piper agreed.

"_Shapeshift?" _Athena mouthed.

Reluctantly, the demigods nodded.

** "Mr. D-" Chiron warned. **

** "Oh, all right, " Dionysus relented. "There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness. " Dionysus rose, and the invisible players' cards dropped to the table. "I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the boy is still here when I get back, I'll turn him into an Atlantic bottlenose. **

"You wouldn't," Poseidon growled.

**Do you understand? And Perseus Jackson, if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you must do."**

**Dionysus picked up a playing card, twisted it, and it became a plastic rectangle. A credit card? No. A security pass. **

**He snapped his fingers. **

** The air seemed to fold and bend around him. He became a hologram, then a wind, then he was gone, leaving only the smell of fresh-pressed grapes lingering behind. **

** Chiron smiled at me, but he looked tired and strained. "Sit, Percy, please. And Grover."**

** We did.**

Jason's jaws dropped. "I don't think I read correctly."

"But little brother," Thalia smiled, leaning forwards. "You did read it correctly. Surprising? I know."

** Chiron laid his cards on the table, a winning hand he hadn't gotten to use.**

Dionysus muttered grudgingly.

** "Tell me, Percy, " he said. "What did you make of the hellhound?"**

** Just hearing the name made me shudder. **

** Chiron probably wanted me to say, Heck, it was nothing. I eat hellhounds for breakfast. **

"If you said that Seaweed Brain, Chiron would think your brain is damaged."

**But I didn't feel like lying. **

** "It scared me, " I said. "If you hadn't shot it, I'd be dead."**

** "You'll meet worse, Percy. Far worse, before you're done."**

** "Done ... With what?"**

**"Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?"**

** I glanced at Grover, who was crossing his fingers. **

** "Um, sir, " I said, "you haven't told me what it is yet. "**

** Chiron grimaced. "Well, that's the hard part, the details."**

** Thunder rumbled across the valley. The storm clouds had now reached the edge of the beach. As far as I could see, the sky and the sea were boiling together.**

Hercules huffed.

** "Poseidon and Zeus, " I said. "They're fighting over something valuable ... Something that was stolen, aren't they?"**

"My master bolt." Zeus grumbled.

** Chiron and Grover exchanged looks. **

** Chiron sat forward in his wheelchair. "How did you know that?"**

** My face felt hot. I wished I hadn't opened my big mouth. "The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and the sky are fighting. Then I talked to Annabeth, and she'd overheard something about a theft. And ... I've also been having these dreams."**

** "I knew it, " Grover said. **

** "Hush, satyr, " Chiron ordered.**

** "But it is his quest!" Grover's eyes were bright with excitement. "It must be!"**

** "Only the Oracle can determine. " Chiron stroked his bristly beard. "Nevertheless, Percy, you are correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt. "**

** I laughed nervously. "A what?"**

** "Do not take this lightly, " Chiron warned. "I'm not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play. I'm talking about a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives."**

"It's very dangerous." Zeus added.

"And you let Athena play with it like a toy," Ares grumbled.

** "Oh."**

"Oh?" asked Theseus in disbelief.

"Oh." Jason confirmed. "That's what it says."

** "Zeus's master bolt, " Chiron said, getting worked up now. "The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make ****mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers."**

** "And it's missing?"**

** "Stolen, " Chiron said. **

** "By who?"**

"By whom," Athena and Annabeth corrected.

** "By whom, " Chiron corrected. Once a teacher, always a teacher. "By you."**

Zeus gave him an annoyed look.

** My mouth fell open.**

**"At least"-Chiron held up a hand-"that's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had an argument. The usual nonsense: 'Mother Rhea always liked you best, ' Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters, ' et cetera. Afterward, Zeus realized his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now, a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly-that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your ****father convinced a human hero to take it."**

"They really are nonsense," Athena concluded.

"Athena. If you're a mortal instead of my favorite child-"

"Yes, I know. You'll blast me into pieces." The goddess waved a hand dismissively.

** "But I didn't-"**

** "Patience and listen, child, " Chiron said. "Zeus has good reason to be suspicious. The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makers of his brother's lightning. Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the master bolt, and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne. The only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt. Now Poseidon has openly claimed you as his son. You were in New York over the winter holidays. You could easily have snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thief." **

** "But I've never even been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!"**

"I'm _not _crazy!"

** Chiron and Grover glanced nervously at the sky. The clouds didn't seem to be parting around us, as Grover had promised. They were rolling straight over our valley, sealing us in like a coffin lid. **

** "Er, Percy ... ?" Grover said. "We don't use the c-word to describe the Lord of the Sky."**

**"Perhaps paranoid," Chiron suggested. "Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. I believe that was question thirty-eight on your final exam... " He looked at me as if he actually expected me to remember question thirty-eight. **

** How could anyone accuse me of stealing a god's weapon? I couldn't even steal a slice of pizza from Gabe's poker party without getting busted.**

"I need to teach you some lessons, my little cousin,"

"No thanks, Hermes."

** Chiron was waiting for an answer. **

**"Something about a golden net?" I guessed. "Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods ... They, like, trapped Zeus and wouldn't let him out until he promised to be a better ruler, right?"  
><strong>

"Hera, Apollo, me and Athena." Poseidon confirmed. "Hera was hung in the sky. Apollo and I had to serve mortals. And guess what happened to Athena?"

"Punishment?" Nico asked. "Although I highly doubt it."

"Now now," Zeus said. "Obviously, I did something wrong. Athena had a reason, which none of you guys have. It's okay."

The demigods' jaws dropped.

"BUT WE HAD REASON TOO!"Hera yelled.

"NO YOU DIDN'T!"

Artemis rolled her eyes and gestured for Jason to read, which he gladly did.

** "Correct, " Chiron said. "And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the master bolt. He took great offense at the accusation. The two have been arguing back and forth for months, threatening war. And now, you've come along-the proverbial last straw."**

** "But I'm just a kid!"**

**"Percy, " Grover cut in, "if you were Zeus, and you already thought your brother was plotting to overthrow you, then your brother suddenly admitted he had broken the sacred oath he took after World War II, that he's fathered a new mortal hero who might be used as a weapon against you... Wouldn't that put a twist in your toga?"**

"We don't wear togas." Percy declared. "So, no."

**"But I didn't do anything. Poseidon-my dad-he didn't really have this master bolt stolen, did he?"**

**Chiron sighed. "Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style. **

"Of course not!"

**But the Sea God is too proud to try convincing Zeus of that. **

Annabeth shook her head. "Definition of Olympians: Self-absorbed, proud, impulsive immortals that threatens people. Oh powerful too."

"HEY!"

**Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice. That's June twenty-first, ten days from now. Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date. I hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter or Hestia would make the two brothers see sense. **

"We always have to." Hestia said defeated.

**But your arrival has inflamed Zeus's temper. Now neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war. And do you know what a full-fledged war would look like, Percy?"**

**"Bad?" I guessed.**

**"Imagine the world in chaos. Nature at war with itself. Olympians forced to choose sides between Zeus and Poseidon. Destruction. Carnage. Millions dead. Western civilization turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight."**

**"Bad, " I repeated. **

** "And you, Percy Jackson, would be the first to feel Zeus's wrath."**

** It started to rain. Volleyball players stopped their game and stared in stunned silence at the sky. **

** I had brought this storm to Half-Blood Hill. Zeus was punishing the whole camp because of me. I was furious. **

** "So I have to find the stupid bolt****," I said. "And return it to Zeus."**

"My master bolt is not stupid!"

** "What better peace offering, " Chiron said, "than to have the son of Poseidon return Zeus's property?"**

** "If Poseidon doesn't have it, where is the thing?"**

**"I believe I know. " Chiron's expression was grim. "Part of a prophecy I had years ago ... Well, some of the lines make sense to me, now. But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle."**

** "Why can't you tell me where the bolt is beforehand?"**

** "Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge."**

** I swallowed. "Good reason."**

** "You agree then?"**

**I looked at Grover, who nodded encouragingly. **

** Easy for him. I was the one Zeus wanted to kill.**

Thalia looked at him. "Ironic. You're still alive."

Percy paused, thinking. "Hey... you're right!"

** "All right, " I said. "It's better than being turned into a dolphin."**

**"Then it's time you consulted the Oracle, " Chiron said. "Go upstairs, Percy Jackson, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more."**

**Four flights up, the stairs ended under a green trap-door.**

**I pulled the cord. The door swung down, and a wooden ladder clattered into place.**

**The warm air from above smelled like mildew and rotten wood and something else ... A smell I remembered from biology class. Reptiles. The smell of snakes.**

**I held my breath and climbed.**

Everyone save Nico, Thalia, Percy and Annabeh leaned forwards for the description.

**The attic was filled with Greek hero junk: armor stands covered in cobwebs; once-bright shields pitted with rust; old leather steamer trunks plastered with stickers saying ITHAKA, CIRCE'S ISLE, and LAND OF THE AMAZONS. One long table was stacked with glass jars filled with pickled things-severed hairy claws, huge yellow eyes, various other parts of monsters. A dusty mounted trophy on the wall looked like a giant snake's head, but with horns and a full ****set of shark's teeth. The plaque read, HYDRA HEAD #1, WOODSTOCK, N. Y. , 1969. **

** By the window, sitting on a wooden tripod stool, was the most gruesome memento of all: a mummy. Not the wrapped-in-cloth kind, but a human female body shriveled to a husk. She wore a tie-dyed sundress, lots of beaded necklaces, and a headband over long black hair. The skin of her face was thin and leathery over her skull, and her eyes were glassy white slits, as if the real eyes had been replaced by marbles; she'd been dead a long, long time.**

Aphrodite turned green.

** Looking at her sent chills up my back. And that was before she sat up on her stool and opened her mouth. A green mist poured from the mummy's mouth, coiling over the floor in thick tendrils, hissing like twenty thousand snakes. I stumbled over myself trying to get to the trap-door, but it slammed shut. Inside my head, I heard a voice, slithering into one ear and coiling around my brain: I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seeker, and ask.**

"Someone needs to deflate his ego," Aphrodite said.

"For once, Dite, I agree with you," Artemis said.

** I wanted to say, No thanks, wrong door, just looking for the bathroom. But I forced myself to take a deep breath. **

** The mummy wasn't alive. She was some kind of grue-some receptacle for something else, the power that was now swirling around me in the green mist. But its presence didn't feel evil, like my demonic math teacher Mrs. Dodds or the Minotaur. It felt more like the Three Fates I'd seen knitting the yarn outside the highway fruit stand: ancient, powerful, and definitely not human. But not particularly interested in killing me, either.**

Athena glanced at him. "You know, you are not as unintelligent as they make it,"

Percy's eyes widened. "Thank you, lady Athena." This was probably the thing closest to a compliment he would ever get from her.

** I got up the courage to ask, "What is my destiny?"**

** The mist swirled more thickly, collecting right in front of me and around the table with the pickled monster-part jars. Suddenly there were four men sitting around the table, playing cards. Their faces became clearer. It was Smelly Gabe and his buddies.**

There were suddenly looks of distaste.

** My fists clenched, though I knew this poker party couldn't be real. It was an illusion, made out of mist. **

** Gabe turned toward me and spoke in the rasping voice of the Oracle: You shall go west, and face the god who has turned.**

There were glares directed at Hades.

"Stop," Athena sighed, annoyed. "Prophecies have double meanings. You can't assume everything."

Hades smiled at her, a rare sight.

** His buddy on the right looked up and said in the same voice: You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned.**

Zeus smiled.

**The guy on the left threw in two poker chips, then said: You shall he betrayed by one who calls you a friend.**

Concerned looks.

** Finally, Eddie, our building super, delivered the worst line of all: And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end.**

Looks of pity.

** The figures began to dissolve. At first I was too stunned to say anything, but as the mist retreated, coiling into a huge green serpent and slithering back into the mouth of the mummy, I cried, "Wait! What do you mean? What friend? What will I fail to save?"**

** The tail of the mist snake disappeared into the mummy's mouth. She reclined back against the wall. Her mouth closed tight, as if it hadn't been open in a hundred years. The attic was silent again, abandoned, nothing but a room full of mementos. **

** I got the feeling that I could stand here until I had cob-webs, too, and I wouldn't learn anything else. **

** My audience with the Oracle was over.**

**"Well?" Chiron asked me. **

** I slumped into a chair at the pinochle table. "She said I would retrieve what was stolen."**

** Grover sat forward, chewing excitedly on the remains of a Diet Coke can. "That's great!"**

** "What did the Oracle say exactly?" Chiron pressed. "This is important."**

** My ears were still tingling from the reptilian voice. "She . .. She said I would go west and face a god who had turned. I would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned."**

**"I knew it, " Grover said. **

** Chiron didn't look satisfied. "Anything else?"**

** I didn't want to tell him.**

"That's unwise, young hero." Anyone could guess who said that. "You should have told him."

**What friend would betray me? I didn't have that many.**

"Sure," the future ones said, sarcastically.

** And the last line-I would fail to save what mattered most. What kind of Oracle would send me on a quest and tell me, Oh, by the way, you'll fail.**

** How could I confess that?**

** "No, " I said. "That's about it."**

** He studied my face. "Very well, Percy. But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass."**

"Not always," Leo muttered, thinking about the Prophecy of the Seven.

** I got the feeling he knew I was holding back something bad, and he was trying to make me feel better.  
><strong>

"Stupid." Hercules said. "I guess you're really a seaweed brain. Satyrs could read emotions."

Perhaps that's why he closed his mouth: getting splashed by water and then hit by Annabeth's two daggers: the one from LUke, which was retrieved afterwards and one made of drakon bones.

Athena pointed to the one made of bones. "Where did you get that from?"

Annabeth held up 4 fingers.

"Fourth book?" asked Ares, eyeing the weapon and licking his lips.

Annabeth looked at him warily, and went to retrieve her weapons. "Second series, fourth book," She corrected. But Ares only had eyes for the sword.

** "Okay, " I said, anxious to change topics. "So where do I go? Who's this god in the west?"**

**"Ah, think, Percy, " Chiron said. "If Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain?"**

** "Somebody else who wants to take over?" I guessed.**

**"Yes, quite. Someone who harbors a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided eons ago, whose kingdom would grow powerful with the deaths of millions. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath that both of them have now broken."**

"As usual, I'm the first one blamed. "Hades muttered.

** I thought about my dreams, the evil voice that had spoken from under the ground. "Hades."**

** Chiron nodded. "The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility."**

Annabeth shook her head. "We wish," she muttered miserably.

Athena studied her, then a title caught her eye: _The Titan's Curse__._ _Uh-oh... _

** A scrap of aluminum dribbled out of Grover's mouth. "Whoa, wait. Wh-what?"**

** "A Fury came after Percy, " Chiron reminded him. "She watched the young man until she was sure of his identity, then tried to kill him. Furies obey only one lord: Hades."**

"True," Hades chuckled. "But Persephone started using them too."

**"Yes, but-but Hades hates all heroes, " Grover pro-tested. "Especially if he has found out Percy is a son of Poseidon... ."**

** "A hellhound got into the forest, " Chiron continued. "Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Pun-ishment, and it had to be summoned by someone within the camp. Hades must have a spy here. He must suspect Poseidon will try to use Percy to clear his name. Hades would very much like to kill this young half-blood before he can take on the quest."**

** "Great, " I muttered. "That's two major gods who want to kill me."**

** "But a quest to ... " Grover swallowed. "I mean, couldn't the master bolt be in some place like Maine? Maine's very nice this time of year."**

The gods chuckled.

**"Hades sent a minion to steal the master bolt, " Chiron insisted. "He hid it in the Underworld, knowing full well that Zeus would blame Poseidon. I don't pretend to understand the Lord of the Dead's motives perfectly, or why he chose this time to start a war, but one thing is certain. Percy must go to the Underworld, find the master bolt, and reveal the truth."**

**A strange fire burned in my stomach. The weirdest thing was: it wasn't fear. It was anticipation. The desire for revenge. Hades had tried to kill me three times so far, with the Fury, the Minotaur, and the hellhound. It was his fault my mother had disappeared in a flash of light. Now he was trying to frame me and my dad for a theft we hadn't committed.**

"Only once..." Percy muttered. No deity heard him.

**I was ready to take him on.**

** Besides, if my mother was in the Underworld ... **

** Whoa, boy, said the small part of my brain that was still sane. You're a kid. Hades is a god. **

** Grover was trembling. He'd started eating pinochle cards like potato chips.**

"HEY!" Dionysus yelled.

The satyr no longer cowered, which surprised the newly-made god.

** The poor guy needed to complete a quest with me so he could get his searcher's license, whatever that was, but how could I ask him to do this quest, especially when the Oracle said I was destined to fail? This was suicide.**

**"Look, if we know it's Hades, " I told Chiron, "why can't we just tell the other gods? Zeus or Poseidon could go down to the Underworld and bust some heads."**

** "Suspecting and knowing are not the same, " Chiron said. "Besides, even if the other gods suspect Hades- and I imagine Poseidon does-they couldn't retrieve the bolt themselves. Gods cannot cross each other's territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they're bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero's actions. Why do you think the gods always operate through humans?"**

** "You're saying I'm being used."**

"Do you all think this way?" asked Athena.

The demigods looked away.

** "I'm saying it's no accident Poseidon has claimed you now. It's a very risky gamble, but he's in a desperate situation. He needs you."**

** My dad needs me. **

** Emotions rolled around inside me like bits of glass in a kaleidoscope. I didn't know whether to feel resentful or ****grateful or happy or angry. Poseidon had ignored me for twelve years. Now suddenly he needed me. **

** I looked at Chiron. "You've known I was Poseidon's son all along, haven't you?"**

** "I had my suspicions. As I said ... I've spoken to the Oracle, too."**

** I got the feeling there was a lot he wasn't telling me about his prophecy, but I decided I couldn't worry about that right now. After all, I was holding back information too. **

** "So let me get this straight, " I said. "I'm supposed go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead. "**

** "Check," Chiron said. **

** "Find the most powerful weapon in the universe."**

** "Check."**

** "And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days. "**

** "That's about right."**

** I looked at Grover, who gulped down the ace of hearts. **

** "Did I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?" he asked weakly. **

** "You don't have to go, " I told him. "I can't ask that of you. **

** "Oh ... " He shifted his hooves. "No ... It's just that satyrs and underground places ... Well..."**

** He took a deep breath, then stood, brushing the shred-ded cards and aluminum bits off his T-shirt. "You saved my life, Percy. If ... If you're serious about wanting me along, I won't let you down."**

"A loyal friend," Hestia smiled.

The satyr returned the gesture.

** I felt so relieved I wanted to cry, though I didn't think that would be very heroic. Grover was the only friend I'd ever had for longer than a few months. I wasn't sure what good a satyr could do against the forces of the dead, but ****I felt better knowing he'd be with me. **

** "All the way, G-man. " I turned to Chiron. "So where do we go? The Oracle just said to go west."**

** "The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west. It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it's in America."**

** "Where?"**

** Chiron looked surprised. "I thought that would be obvious enough. The entrance to the Underworld is in Los Angeles."**

** "Oh, " I said. "Naturally. So we just get on a plane-"**

** "No!" Grover shrieked. "Percy, what are you thinking? Have you ever been on a plane in your life?"**

Percy stopped playing with Annabeth's curls for a moment. "Yes."

** I shook my head, feeling embarrassed. My mom had never taken me anywhere by plane. She'd always said we didn't have ****the money. Besides, her parents had died in a plane crash. **

** "Percy, think, " Chiron said. "You are the son of the Sea God. Your father's bitterest rival is Zeus, Lord of the Sky. Your mother knew better than to trust you in an airplane. You would be in Zeus's domain. You would never come down again alive."**

** Overhead, lightning crackled. Thunder boomed. **

** "Okay, " I said, determined not to look at the storm. "So, I'll travel overland."**

"Good idea," Orion told him.

** "That's right, " Chiron said. "Two companions may accompany you. Grover is one. The other has already volunteered, if you will accept her help."**

"No..." Athena pleaded.

Annabeth smile cheekily."Sorry?"

Athena groaned. "Pass the painkillers please!"

** "Gee, " I said, feigning surprise. "Who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a quest like this?"**

Annabeth punched him. "Stupid?!"

"It seemed like a bad idea."

"Well, sorry Seaweed Brain, for going with you on the quest."

"Well, I'm glad you came along."

Annabeth smiled.

** The air shimmered behind Chiron.**

**Annabeth became visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket.**

** "I've been waiting a long time for a quest, seaweed brain, " she said. "Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up."**

"True," Ares admitted. "War wisdom and water is not a bad combination."

"They are start with w..." Leo commented.

"So?"

"Never mind."

Athena and Poseidon looked at each other.

** "If you do say so yourself, " I said. "I suppose you have a plan, wise girl?"**

"Age of the nicknames!" Leo yelled dramatically.

** Her cheeks colored. "Do you want my help or not?"**

** The truth was, I did. I needed all the help I could get. **

** "A trio, " I said. "That'll work. "**

** "Excellent, " Chiron said. "This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own. "**

** Lightning flashed. Rain poured down on the meadows that were never supposed to have violent weather.**

**"No time to waste, " Chiron said. "I think you should all get packing."**

"End of chapter!" Jason declared!

* * *

><p><strong>Wow, this is a long one. I have to update more often. <strong>


	13. Take a vote

**Let's take a vote, lads. So, should I continue with the reading books or should I do one chapter of fluff and try to begin Pothena as someone asked? If there is no answer, I'll just move onto the next chapter in the book.**


	14. Pothena starts to develop

**Disclaimer: If I owned Percy Jackson, why would I be typing this up? All rights go to Mr. Rick Riordan**

**By the way. I don't care what you say: yes Pothena for sure. That's a mandatory couple. Sorry. Don't try convincing me. **

* * *

><p>"I guess I'll read now," Hephaestus sighed, taking the book. "Let's get on with it."<p>

**I RUIN A PERFECTLY GOOD BUS**

** It didn't take me long to pack. I decided to leave the Minotaur horn in my cabin, which left me only an extra change of clothes and a toothbrush to stuff in a backpack Grover had found for me.**

"Good," Ares approved. "Don't bring too much stuff."

** The camp store loaned me one hundred dollars in mortal money and twenty golden drachmas.**

"Loaned?" asked Hera.

The campers shrugged.

"Of course. We don't get allowance," Annabeth said.

"Don't the suture us give you money?" asked Zeus.

Grover shook his head. "As far as we know... nope."

The deities frowned.

** These coins were as big as Girl Scout cookies and had images of various Greek gods stamped on one side and the Empire State Building on the other.**

"What?" asked Theseus. "What is that?"

Percy gestured towards the book and chatted random things with Annabeth.

** The ancient mortal drachmas had been silver, Chiron told us, but Olympians never used less than pure gold. **

The Heroes of the Old were all very surprised.

"Hey!"

"How come we don't get golden drachmas?"

"That's unfair, father."

"SHUT UP!"

**Chiron said the coins might come in handy for non-mortal transactions-whatever that meant. **

"IM-ing," Leo sing-songed.

**He gave Annabeth and me each a canteen of nectar and a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia squares,**

The Heroes of the Old pouted like little kids.

** to be used only in emergencies, if we were seriously hurt. It was god food, Chiron reminded us. It would cure us of almost any injury, but it was lethal to mortals. Too much of it would make a half-blood very, very feverish. An overdose would burn us up, literally.**

"How would you know?" asked Ares.

"Obviously," Athena rolled her eyes. "Some imbecile decided to try it."

"Wow, that person must really be stupid!" Ares commented.

"This stupid person happened to be your son, Lord Ares,"

The god blushed while everyone laughed. He glared at Piper.

**Annabeth was bringing her magic Yankees cap, which she told me had been a twelfth-birthday present from her mom.**

Annabeth smiled at her mother, who in turn smiled back.

** She carried a book on famous classical architecture, written in Ancient Greek, to read when she got bored, and a long bronze knife, hidden in her shirt sleeve. I was sure the knife would get us busted the first time we went through a metal detector.**

"How much you want to bet on it?" Leo asked Apollo. "That it won't?"

"10 drachmas."

"You're on. Annabeth! Did it get busted?!"

"Annabeth gave him a weird look. "NO!"

Apollo grumbled something about cheaters from the future.

Artemis smirked. "Uh-huh, god of prophecies."

That left the god speechless.

**Grover wore his fake feet and his pants to pass as human. He wore a green rasta-style cap, because when it rained his curly hair flattened and you could just see the tips of his horns. His bright orange backpack was full of scrap metal and apples to snack on.**

Leo grinned. "Now I know why Olympus is in New York City!"

The futures turned to him. "Why?"

Leo grinned. "'Cuz it's the Big Apple!" he exclaimed. "Satyrs love it!"

"Lame." -.- That was from Apollo. He did not like losing.

** In his pocket was a set of reed pipes his daddy goat had carved for him, even though he only knew two songs: Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 12 and Hilary Duff's "So Yesterday, " both of which sounded pretty bad on reed pipes.**

"HEY!" Grover exclaimed.

Percy grinned sheepishly. "Er... you know it's true?"

** We waved good-bye to the other campers, took one last look at the strawberry fields, the ocean, and the Big House, then hiked up Half-Blood Hill to the tall pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus.**

Thalia groaned. "You just had to describe me as _the tall pine tree that used to be Thalia_,"

"Hey, I didn't know that my thoughts would be written down."

Annabeth smirked and kissed him full on the lips, much to Athena's displeasure. No, she didn't mind the couple yet. But kissing in front of Aphrodite and making her squeal loudly? Not cool at all.

Everyone else winced, rubbing their ears and most directed their glares at the two demigods who stuck out their tongue. Others glared at Aphrodite.

** Chiron was waiting for us in his wheelchair. Next to him stood the surfer dude I'd seen when I was recovering in the sick room. According to Grover, the guy was the camp's head of security. He **s**upposedly had eyes all over his body so he could never be surprised. Today, though, he was wearing a chauffeur's uniform, so I could only see extra peepers on his hands, face and neck.**

Hera smiled. "Argus."

There were nods.

** "This is Argus, " Chiron told me. "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things. "**

"Terrible pun, Chiron," Leo shook his head. "He might be a good liar. But not good at puns and changing topics. I have to help the Stolls..."

"Exactly! Hephy, your son understands!"

"Whatever, Hermes."

**I heard footsteps behind us. **

** Luke came running up the hill, carrying a pair of basketball shoes.**

"What is basketball?" asked Ares.

Annabeth blinked. "I thought the name was self-explanatory,"

"Now, daughter. He's too thickheaded to understand anything."

"Makes sense..." Poseidon snickered. "Even I understand what it is... a ball you throw into a basket, right?"

Percy nodded. "Nai."

"Ancient Greek..." Zeus mused. "So you all know it?"

"A little for me," said Jason. "I'm not Greek even though my sister is. I'm Roman who knows a bit of Greek and is turning into a Greek demigod."

And now all the deities and the Heroes of the Old are confused.

"You'll see in book one of second series."

"Oh..." Hera, who hated all heroes glared. "Couldn't have said that earlier?"

"No." Annabeth snapped.

"Why do you hate me so much?"

"Something you did in the future," Percy defended his girl.

Hera blinked.

** "Hey!" he panted. "Glad I caught you. "**

** Annabeth blushed, the way she always did when Luke was around.**

Said demigoddess pushed Percy's arms away from his waist and punched him. "Hey! I did not!"

"Did!"

"Did not!"

"Did!"

"Did not!"

"Stop having your lovers' quarrel!" Grover grimaced. "Just kiss and make up already!"

Percy shrugged. "If you say so." And pulled her in for a deep, passionate kiss.

"Get a room!" Piper sighed.

They broke apart, blushing but then quickly recover. "That coming from you, Pipes?" Annabeth asked. "What about you and Jason?"

The couple blushed.

"Ooh! What about it?!"Aphrodite started bouncing in her seat.

"NOTHING!"

The gods sighed in relief.

**"Just wanted to say good luck, " Luke told me. "And I thought ... Um, maybe you could use these."**

** He handed me the sneakers, which looked pretty normal. They even smelled kind of normal.**

Hephaestus was speechless, like everyone else.

"Um? It's time to read?" asked Percy weakly.

**Luke said, "Maia!"**

Hestia cooed. "You used your mother's name as a passcode?" SHe asked the god who was hovering in thin air because of his winged sandles.

"Maia."

Leo grinned. "Maia!"

"Ahhh!"

Apollo laughed. "This is awesome! Maia! Maia! Maia!"

"Okay, enough," Zeus boomed, pitying his son, who had several bruises.

** White bird's wings sprouted out of the heels, startling me so much, I dropped them. The shoes flapped around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared. **

** "Awesome!" Grover said. **

** Luke smiled. "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days..." His expression turned sad.**

"Why?"

Annabeth just stared at Hermes, not knowing what to say. "You'll see," She decided.

** I didn't know what to say. It was cool enough that Luke had come to say good-bye. I'd been afraid he might resent me for getting so much attention the last few days. But here he was giving me a magic gift... It made me blush almost as much as Annabeth.**

Annabeth hesitated, but then punched him.

Percy yelped and mock glared. "Hey! I don't have the curse anymore!"

Annabeth grinned in triumph and kissed his wound.

** "Hey, man, " I said. "Thanks."**

**"Listen, Percy ... " Luke looked uncomfortable. "A lot of hopes are riding on you. So just ... Kill some monsters for me, okay?"**

Thalia sighed.

** We shook hands. Luke patted Grover's head between his horns, then gave a good-bye hug to Annabeth, who looked like she might pass out. **

** After Luke was gone, I told her, "You're hyperventilating."**

** "Am not."**

"Is."

"Was not."

"Was."

"Was not."

"Was."

"Was not."

"Was not."

"Was not it is!" Annabeth smirked.

"Dam it... I was hoping taht you fall into the trick."

"Wrong person, Perce."

"I know, Jace."

** "You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?"**

"Athena already possessed a flag," Hermes said. "Why does she need another one?"

"Exactly!" Annabeth threw her hands wide.

Percy stared at Hermes. "Not helping, cuz. Not at all."

"I know."

** "Oh ... Why do I want to go anywhere with you, Percy?"**

** She stomped down the other side of the hill, where a white SUV waited on the shoulder of the road. Argus followed, jingling his car keys.**

"Now I know how to annoy Annabeth!" Nico started clapping. The applause ceased the very next second. "Er... I think it's safer to annoy one of the gods..."

The deities looked at Annabeth in surprise.

**I picked up the flying shoes and had a sudden bad feeling. I looked at Chiron. "I won't be able to use these, will I?"**

"Why not?" asked Zeus.

"You," Percy answered. "But I guess I have to thank you for not letting me in the air this time."

"Oh. You're welcome."

"Son, you boosted his ego."

** He shook his head. "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air ... That would not be wise for you."**

**I nodded, disappointed, but then I got an idea. "Hey, Grover. You want a magic item?"**

"A good thing... and a bad thing..." Grover commented. "But it was better on me than it would be on Percy."

"Wow, G-man. Thanks for your faith."

Grover shrugged.

** His eyes lit up. "Me?"**

** Pretty soon we'd laced the sneakers over his fake feet, and the world's first flying goat boy was ready for launch. **

** "Maia!" he shouted.**

"Ouch!" Hermes moaned.

"Try to activate it based on voice," suggested Athena.

"I guess that should do." Hermes agreed, while Apollo treated him.

** He got off the ground okay, but then fell over sideways so his backpack dragged through the grass. The winged shoes kept bucking up and down like tiny broncos.**

**"Practice, " Chiron called after him. "You just need practice!"**

** "Aaaaa!" Grover went flying sideways down the hill like a possessed lawn mower, heading toward the van. **

** Before I could follow, Chiron caught my arm. "I should have trained you better, Percy, " he said. "If only I had more time. Hercules,**

The god smirked.

** Jason-they all got more training."**

** "That's okay. I just wish-"**

** I stopped myself because I was about to sound like a brat. I was wishing my dad had given me a cool magic item to help on the quest, something as good as Luke's flying shoes, or Annabeth's invisible cap. **

"What about the sword?" asked Poseidon, a bit upset.

Athena patted his arm, giving him some comfort.

"Pothena!" Aphrodite squealed.

Athena threw at the love goddess. "No."

Aphrodite frowned.

"You'll get wrinkles," Artemis warned.

Aphrodite widened her eyes and forced a smile.

Piper looked embarrassed.

**"What am I thinking?" Chiron cried. "I can't let you get away without this.**

**He pulled a pen from his coat pocket and handed it to me. It was an ordinary disposable ballpoint, black ink, removable cap. Probably cost thirty cents.**

"Boy," Artemis said. "That pen costed-"

"A girl's whole life." Percy interrupted. "It was all she had. Gave it to Hercules, or Heracles, should i say that? Got disowned."

Artemis looked impressed.

**"Gee," I said. "Thanks"**

**"Percy, that's a gift from your father. I've kept it for years, not knowing you were who I was waiting for. But the prophecy is clear to me now. You are the one."**

**I remembered the field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, when I'd vaporized Mrs. Dodds. Chiron had thrown me a pen that turned into a sword. Could this be ... ?**

Percy took out Riptide and then uncapped it, showing it off.

Ares licked his lips. There were so many cool weapons in the future...

**I took off the cap, and the pen grew longer and heavier in my hand. In half a second, I held a shimmering bronze sword with a double-edged blade, a leather-wrapped grip, and a flat hilt riveted with gold studs. It was the first weapon that actually felt balanced in my hand.**

"The only one that does," Percy added.

**"The sword has a long and tragic history that we need not go into, " Chiron told me. "Its name is Anaklusmos."**

Thalia and Artemis frowned.

**"'Riptide, '" I translated, surprised the Ancient Greek came so easily.**

**"Use it only for emergencies, " Chiron said, "and only against monsters. No hero should harm mortals unless ****absolutely necessary, of course, but this sword wouldn't harm them in any case."**

** I looked at the wickedly sharp blade. "What do you mean it wouldn't harm mortals? How could it not?"**

** "The sword is celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, cooled in the River Lethe. It's deadly to monsters, to any creature from the Underworld, provided they don't kill you first. But the blade will pass through mortals like an illusion. They simply are not important enough for the blade to kill. And I should warn you: as a demigod, you can be killed by either celestial or normal weapons. You are twice as vulnerable."**

The demigods grimaced.

"It's a wonder you are still alive..." Grover said. "Percy and Annabeth."

They looked away, wrapping themselves around each other. Then, their cheerful voices were replaced by something so horrible, it terrified the deities. "We know... but only Nico understands... the slightest."

"And I was saved..." Nico muttered.

The couple received pitied looks.

Athena and Poseidon narrowed heir eyes. "What happened?!"

"Please... mom... I don't want to talk about it..." The tears flowed freely, catching everyone by surprise.

**"Good to know."**

** "Now recap the pen."**

** I touched the pen cap to the sword tip and instantly Riptide shrank to a ballpoint pen again. I tucked it in my pocket, a little nervous, because I was famous for losing pens at school.**

**"You can't, " Chiron said. **

** "Can't what?"**

** "Lose the pen," he said. "It is enchanted. It will always reappear in your pocket. Try it."**

** I was wary, but I threw the pen as far as I could down the hill and watched it disappear in the grass. **

** "It may take a few moments, " Chiron told me. "Now check your pocket."**

** Sure enough, the pen was there.**

"A good thing too..." Thalia made an attempt to cheer things up. The joke fell flat.

** "Okay, that's extremely cool, " I admitted. "But what if a mortal sees me pulling out a sword?"**

** Chiron smiled. "Mist is a powerful thing, Percy."**

** "Mist?"**

** "Yes. Read The Iliad. It's full of references to the stuff. Whenever divine or monstrous elements mix with the mortal world, they generate Mist, which obscures the vision of humans. You will see things just as they are, being a half-blood, but humans will interpret things quite differently. Remarkable, really, the lengths to which humans will go to fit things into their version of reality."**

** I put Riptide back in my pocket. **

** For the first time, the quest felt real. I was actually leaving Half-Blood Hill. I was heading west with no adult supervision, no backup plan, not even a cell phone. (Chiron said cell phones were traceable by monsters; if we used one, it would be worse than sending up a flare. ) I had no weapon stronger than a sword to fight off monsters and reach the Land of the Dead. **

** "Chiron ... " I said. "When you say the gods are immortal... I mean, there was a time before them, right?"**

** "Four ages before them, actually. The Time of the Titans was the Fourth Age, sometimes called the Golden Age, which is definitely a misnomer. This, the time of Western civilization and the rule of Zeus, is the Fifth Age."**

**"So what was it like ... Before the gods?"**

** Chiron pursed his lips. "Even I am not old enough to remember that, child, but I know it was a time of darkness and savagery for mortals. Kronos, the lord of the Titans, called his reign the Golden Age because men lived innocent and free of all knowledge. But that was mere propaganda. The Titan king cared nothing for your kind except as appetizers or a source of cheap entertainment. It was only in the early reign of Lord Zeus, when Prometheus the good Titan brought fire to mankind, that your species began to progress, and even then Prometheus was branded a radical thinker. Zeus punished him severely, as you may recall. Of course, eventually the gods warmed to humans, and Western civilization was born."**

No one bothered to say anything, mostly because they didn't know what to say. Percy and Annabeth were still so broken. There was layer blocking all the joy in their eyes.

** "But the gods can't die now, right? I mean, as long as Western civilization is alive, they're alive. So ... Even if I failed, nothing could happen so bad it would mess up everything, right?"**

**Chiron gave me a melancholy smile. "No one knows how long the Age of the West will last, Percy. The gods are immortal, yes. But then, so were the Titans. They still exist, locked away in their various prisons, forced to endure endless pain and punishment, reduced in power, but still very much alive. May the Fates forbid that the gods should ever suffer such a doom, or that we should ever return to the darkness and chaos of the past. All we can do, child, is follow our destiny."**

**"Our destiny ... Assuming we know what that is."**

**"Relax, " Chiron told me. "Keep a clear head. And remember, you may be about to prevent the biggest war in human history."**

**"Relax, " I said. "I'm very relaxed."**

**When I got to the bottom of the hill, I looked back. Under the pine tree that used to be Thalia, daughter of Zeus, Chiron was now standing in full horse-man form, holding his bow high in salute. Just your typical summer-camp send-off by your typical centaur.**

**Argus drove us out of the countryside and into western Long Island. It felt weird to be on a highway again,**

**Annabeth and Grover sitting next to me as if we were normal carpoolers. After two weeks at Half-Blood Hill, the real world seemed like a fantasy. I found myself staring at every McDonald's, every kid in the back of his parents' car, every billboard and shopping mall. **

** "So far so good, " I told Annabeth. "Ten miles and not a single monster."**

**She gave me an irritated look. "It's bad luck to talk that way, seaweed brain."**

** "Remind me again-why do you hate me so much?"**

** "I don't hate you."**

** "Could've fooled me."**

"And so, ladies and gentlemen," Leo joked. "Now you know that the inseparable couple started out hating each other."

Percy and Annabeth didn't say anything, making their immortal parents worried.

** She folded her cap of invisibility. "Look ... We're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals."**

"You don't have to hate each other because we are rivals..." Athena said softly.

Annabeth only nodded.

Demeter snapped her fingers. "I know! Get wheat!"

Piper shook her head." PErcy and Annabeth.. they are each others line to sanity, after what they went through."

** "Why?"**

"You'll see in the book, father."

"NO, the book says why。"

"Oh."

**She sighed. "How many reasons do you want? One time my mom caught Poseidon with his girlfriend in Athena's temple, which is hugely disrespectful. **

"Sorry..." Poseidon mummbled.

Athena looked away. "Whatever."

**Another time, Athena and Poseidon competed to be the patron god for the city of Athens. Your dad created some stupid saltwater spring for his gift. My mom created the olive tree. The people saw that her gift was better, so they named the city after her."**

** "They must really like olives."**

** "Oh, forget it."**

** "Now, if she'd invented pizza-that I could understand."**

"Pizzas do have olives on it," Jason frowned.

** "I said, forget it!"**

**In the front seat, Argus smiled. He didn't say anything, but one blue eye on the back of his neck winked at me.**

"Even Argus knew you'd get together!" Thalia exclaimed.

"Okay, okay," Annabeth sighed. "I get it!"

**Traffic slowed us down in Queens. By the time we got into Manhattan it was sunset and starting to rain. **

** Argus dropped us at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side, not far from my mom and Gabe's apart-ment. Taped to a mailbox was a soggy flyer with my picture on it: HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY?**

** I ripped it down before Annabeth and Grover could notice.**

"Probably did before you," Hestia said thoughtfully. "A daughter of Athena plus ADHD..."

** Argus unloaded our bags, made sure we got our bus tickets, then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand opening to watch us as he pulled out of the parking lot. **

** I thought about how close I was to my old apartment. On a normal day, my mom would be home from the candy store by now. Smelly Gabe was probably up there right now, playing poker, not even missing her. **

** Grover shouldered his backpack. He gazed down the street in the direction I was looking. "You want to know why she married him, Percy?"**

** I stared at him. "Were you reading my mind or something?"**

**"Just your emotions. " He shrugged. "Guess I forgot to tell you satyrs can do that. You were thinking about your mom and your stepdad, right?"**

** I nodded, wondering what else Grover might've forgotten to tell me.**

**"Your mom married Gabe for you, " Grover told me. "You call him 'Smelly, ' but you've got no idea. The guy has this aura... Yuck. I can smell him from here. I can smell traces of him on you, and you haven't been near him for a week. "**

** "Thanks, " I said. "Where's the nearest shower?"**

"Haha. Ha. Ha..." Leo said sarcastically, gaining some laughs.

** "You should be grateful, Percy. Your stepfather smells so repulsively human he could mask the presence of any demigod. As soon as I took a whiff inside his Camaro, I knew: Gabe has been covering your scent for years. If you hadn't lived with him every summer, you probably would've been found by monsters a long time ago. Your mom stayed with him to protect you. She was a smart lady. She must've loved you a lot to put up with that guy-if that makes you feel any better."**

"Which still reminds me, Banacle Beard. How did you get such a smart lady to like you?"

Poseidon winked at her. "I have my charms."

**It didn't, but I forced myself not to show it. I'll see her again, I thought. She isn't gone. **

** I wondered if Grover could still read my emotions, mixed up as they were. I was glad he and Annabeth were with me, but I felt guilty that I hadn't been straight with them. I hadn't told them the real reason I'd said yes to this crazy quest. **

** The truth was, I didn't care about retrieving Zeus's lightning bolt, or saving the world, or even helping my father out of trouble. The more I thought about it, I resented Poseidon for never visiting me, never helping my mom, never even sending a lousy child-support check. He'd only claimed me because he needed a job done.**

Poseidon looked down.

** All I cared about was my mom. Hades had taken her unfairly, and Hades was going to give her back.**

"Actually, my father saved her," -.-

** You will be betrayed by one who calls you a friend, the Oracle whispered in my mind. You will fail to save what matters most in the end. **

** Shut up, I told it.**

There were suppressed giggles.

**The rain kept coming down. **

** We got restless waiting for the bus and decided to play some Hacky Sack with one of Grover's apples. Annabeth was unbelievable. She could bounce the apple off her knee, her elbow, her shoulder, whatever. I wasn't too bad myself. **

** The game ended when I tossed the apple toward Grover and it got too close to his mouth. In one mega goat bite, our Hacky Sack disappeared-core, stem, and all.**

The deities laughed, along with several campers.

** Grover blushed. He tried to apologize, but Annabeth and I were too busy cracking up. **

** Finally the bus came. As we stood in line to board, Grover started looking around, sniffing the air like he smelled his favorite school cafeteria delicacy-enchiladas. **

** "What is it?" I asked. **

** "I don't know, " he said tensely. "Maybe it's nothing."**

**But I could tell it wasn't nothing. I started looking over my shoulder, too. **

** I was relieved when we finally got on board and found seats together in the back of the bus. We stowed our back-packs. Annabeth kept slapping her Yankees cap nervously against her thigh. **

** As the last passengers got on, Annabeth clamped her hand onto my knee. "Percy."**

Aphrodite squealed.

"I hate to break it to you," Annabeth said still emotionless. "But I wasn't like that..."

** An old lady had just boarded the bus. She wore a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange-knit hat that shadowed her face, and she carried a big paisley purse. When she tilted her head up, her black eyes glittered, and my heart skipped a beat.**

**It was Mrs. Dodds. Older, more withered, but definitely the same evil face. **

** I scrunched down in my seat. **

** Behind her came two more old ladies: one in a green hat, one in a purple hat. Otherwise they looked exactly like ****Mrs. Dodds-same gnarled hands, paisley handbags, wrinkled velvet dresses. Triplet demon grandmothers. **

** They sat in the front row, right behind the driver. The two on the aisle crossed their legs over the walkway, making an X. It was casual enough, but it sent a clear message: nobody leaves. **

** The bus pulled out of the station, and we headed through the slick streets of Manhattan. "She didn't stay dead long, " I said, trying to keep my voice from quivering. "I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime."**

** "I said if you're lucky, Annabeth said. "You're obviously not."**

"You're both pretty unlucky..." Piper said.

**"All three of them, " Grover whimpered. "Di immortales!"**

** "It's okay, " Annabeth said, obviously thinking hard. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows."**

** "They don't open," Grover moaned.**

**"A back exit?" she suggested.**

"Whoever made that sucks..." said Leo.

**There wasn't one. Even if there had been, it wouldn't have helped. By that time, we were on Ninth Avenue, heading for the Lincoln Tunnel. **

** "They won't attack us with witnesses around, " I said. "Will they?"**

** "Mortals don't have good eyes, " Annabeth reminded me. "Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist."**

** "They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?"**

** She thought about it. "Hard to say. But we can't count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit in the roof ... ?"**

** We hit the Lincoln Tunnel, and the bus went dark except for the running lights down the aisle. It was eerily quiet ****without the sound of the rain. **

** Mrs. Dodds got up. In a flat voice, as if she'd rehearsed it, she announced to the whole bus: "I need to use the rest-room."**

** "So do I," said the second sister. **

** "So do I," said the third sister. **

** They all started coming down the aisle.**

"So not suspicious." Jason said sarcastically.

Percy shrugged. "Is it okay if we go for a walk?"

Zeus gestured to the door. "You know your way?"

"Come on, Percy." Annabeth pulled him up and together they left.

"Now what?" asked Hades.

"Continue, Hephaestus," Hera said.

** "I've got it, " Annabeth said. "Percy, take my hat."**

**"What?"**

** "You're the one they want. Turn invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away."**

**"But you guys-"**

** "There's an outside chance they might not notice us," Annabeth said. "You're a son of one of the Big Three. Your smell might be overpowering."**

"Wrong person Annie," Thalia said, almost to herself. "Just like last time..."

** "I can't just leave you."**

** "Don't worry about us, " Grover said. "Go!"**

** My hands trembled. I felt like a coward, but I took the Yankees cap and put it on. **

** When I looked down, my body wasn't there anymore.**

"That's what happens when you become invisible." -.-

"Okay, Nico," said Hades. "What's with that face?"

Nico shrugged. "I have no idea."

** I started creeping up the aisle. I managed to get up ten rows, then duck into an empty seat just as the Furies walked past.**

**Mrs. Dodds stopped, sniffing, and looked straight at me. My heart was pounding. **

** Apparently she didn't see anything. She and her sisters kept going. **

** I was free. I made it to the front of the bus. We were almost through the Lincoln Tunnel now. I was about to press the emergency stop button when I heard hideous wailing from the back row.**

**The old ladies were not old ladies anymore. Their faces were still the same-I guess those couldn't get any uglier- but their bodies had shriveled into leathery brown hag bodies with bat's wings and hands and feet like gargoyle claws. Their handbags had turned into fiery whips. **

** The Furies surrounded Grover and Annabeth, lashing their whips, hissing: "Where is it? Where?"**

Athena growled. "Uncle Hades,"

Hades tried to hide on the throne.

"Watch your furies."

Yep... he's withering away now.

** The other people on the bus were screaming, cowering in their seats. They saw something, all right. **

** "He's not here!" Annabeth yelled. "He's gone!"**

**The Furies raised their whips. **

** Annabeth drew her bronze knife. Grover grabbed a tin can from his snack bag and prepared to throw it. **

** What I did next was so impulsive and dangerous I should've been named ADHD poster child of the year.**

"Of the century." said Thalia.

** The bus driver was distracted, trying to see what was going on in his rearview mirror. **

** Still invisible, I grabbed the wheel from him and jerked it to the left. Everybody howled as they were thrown to the right, and I heard what I hoped was the sound of three Furies smashing against the windows. **

** "Hey!" the driver yelled. "Hey-whoa!"**

Ares, Apollo and Hermes started cheering. "MORE! MORE! MORE!"

** We wrestled for the wheel. The bus slammed against the side of the tunnel, grinding metal, throwing sparks a mile behind us.**

**We careened out of the Lincoln Tunnel and back into the rainstorm, people and monsters tossed around ****the bus, cars plowed aside like bowling pins. **

** Somehow the driver found an exit. We shot off the highway, through half a dozen traffic lights, and ended up barreling down one of those New Jersey rural roads where you can't believe there's so much nothing right across the river from New York. There were woods to our left, the Hudson River to our right, and the driver seemed to be veering toward the river. **

** Another great idea: I hit the emergency brake. **

** The bus wailed, spun a full circle on the wet asphalt, and crashed into the trees. The emergency lights came on. The door flew open. The bus driver was the first one out, the passengers yelling as they stampeded after him. I stepped into the driver's seat and let them pass. **

** The Furies regained their balance. They lashed their whips at Annabeth while she waved her knife and yelled in Ancient Greek, telling them to back off. Grover threw tin cans. **

** I looked at the open doorway. I was free to go, but I couldn't leave my friends. I took off the invisible cap.**

**"Hey!"**

** The Furies turned, baring their yellow fangs at me, and the exit suddenly seemed like an excellent idea. Mrs. Dodds stalked up the aisle, just as she used to do in class, about to deliver my F- math test. Every time she flicked her whip, red flames danced along the barbed leather. **

** Her two ugly sisters hopped on top of the seats on either side of her and crawled toward me like huge nasty lizards. **

** "Perseus Jackson, " Mrs. Dodds said, in an accent that was definitely from somewhere farther south than Georgia. "You have offended the gods. You shall die."**

**"I liked you better as a math teacher, " I told her. **

** She growled. **

** Annabeth and Grover moved up behind the Furies cautiously, looking for an opening.**

**I took the ballpoint pen out of my pocket and uncapped it. Riptide elongated into a shimmering double-edged sword. **

** The Furies hesitated. **

** Mrs. Dodds had felt Riptide's blade before. She obviously didn't like seeing it again. **

** "Submit now, " she hissed. "And you will not suffer eternal torment. "**

** "Nice try, " I told her. **

** "Percy, look out!" Annabeth cried. **

** Mrs. Dodds lashed her whip around my sword hand while the Furies on the either side lunged at me. **

** My hand felt like it was wrapped in molten lead, but I managed not to drop Riptide. I stuck the Fury on the left with its hilt, sending her toppling backward into a seat. I turned and sliced the Fury on the right. As soon as the blade connected with her neck, she screamed and exploded into dust. Annabeth got Mrs. Dodds in a wrestler's hold and yanked her backward while Grover ripped the whip out of her hands.**

"Piggy back ride!" Apollo exclaimed.

**"Ow!" he yelled. "Ow! Hot! Hot!"**

"No duh?" asked Aphrodite. "There were red flames?"

** The Fury I'd hilt-slammed came at me again, talons ready, but I swung Riptide and she broke open like a piata. **

** Mrs. Dodds was trying to get Annabeth off her back. She kicked, clawed, hissed and bit, but Annabeth held on while Grover got Mrs. Dodds's legs tied up in her own whip. Finally they both shoved her backward into the aisle. Mrs. Dodds tried to get up, but she didn't have room to flap her bat wings, so she kept falling down. **

** "Zeus will destroy you!" she promised. "Hades will have your soul!"**

** "Braccas meas vescimini!" I yelled. **

** I wasn't sure where the Latin came from. I think it meant "Eat my pants!"**

There was laughter again.

**Thunder shook the bus. The hair rose on the back of my neck. **

** "Get out!" Annabeth yelled at me. "Now!" I didn't need any encouragement. **

** We rushed outside and found the other passengers wandering around in a daze, arguing with the driver, or running around in circles yelling, "We're going to die!" A Hawaiian-shirted tourist with a camera snapped my photograph before I could recap my sword. **

** "Our bags!" Grover realized. "We left our-"**

** BOOOOOM!**

**The windows of the bus exploded as the passengers ran for cover. Lightning shredded a huge crater in the roof, but an angry wail from inside told me Mrs. Dodds was not yet dead. **

** "Run!" Annabeth said. "She's calling for reinforcements! We have to get out of here!"**

"How did she know?" Athena asked. "Unless..." She turned to Hades who whimpered. "I gave a question, my dear uncle. Why in the name of my mother did my daughter run into your Furies more than once?"

He started sweating. "I... uh..."

"We're back!" Percy announced, holding hands with Annabeth.

**We plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind us, and nothing but darkness ahead. **


	15. Possibly on Hiatus

**Disclaimer: If I owned Percy Jackson, why would I be typing this up? All rights go to Mr. Rick Riordan**

* * *

><p>I have been kindly told by a guest that this may be against the rules. Therefore, I have no choice but to put this on hiatus until I finish my other story. After that, I have will not care about being blocked. Sorry to everyone. But maybe I'll finish typing up all my chapters for this story and then we'll see what happens. So don't be too upset if this story is not going to be updated by me too soon. I'll try my best to finish this story soon... but I need time for my other story too. Thank you for your cooperation.<p>

Nevertheless, I have one thing to ask about:

**Entries not allowed:**

**Non-stories: lists, bloopers, polls, previews, challenges, author notes, and etc.**

**One or two liners.**

**MST: comments inserted in between the flow of a copied story.**

**Stories with non-historical and non-fictional characters: actors, musicians, and etc.**

**Any form of interactive entry: choose your adventure, second person/you based, Q&As, and etc.**

**Chat/script format and keyboard dialogue based entries.**

and:

**FanFiction respects the expressed wishes of the following authors/publishers and will not archive entries based on their work: **

**Anne Rice**

**Archie comics**

**Dennis L. McKiernan**

**Irene Radford**

**J.R. Ward**

**Laurell K. Hamilton**

**Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb**

**P.N. Elrod**

**Raymond Feist**

**Robin Hobb**

**Robin McKinley**

**Terry Goodkind**

So, technically, Rick Riordan is not on the list. Also, I have included chapters that are not about reading. Is it against the rules?


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